Mayor’s Visiting Program carries high significance, says Zhuhai mayor

The Mayor’s Visiting Program for China’s Neighboring Countries carries growing significance in the context of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), according to Zhuhai’s mayor Yao Yisheng.

“As the Greater Bay Area keeps developing [on] all fronts, the leading role of Macau and Zhuhai as a pole in the Greater Bay Area will become very prominent,” said Yao. “Therefore, the Mayor’s Visiting Program is facing greater opportunities in terms of exchange and cooperation. With well- developed economies and sound environments, cities involved in the Program have their own development features, which are complementary to each other.”

“Zhuhai and Macau are geographically close, and our people have close ties,” said Yao.

Citing Chinese president Xi Jinping, Yao noted that it is necessary to strengthen policy support, increase the scope of cooperation, develop emerging industries and promote Macau’s economic development in order for the city to become more dynamic.

Then, citing Li Xi, secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Yao said that “Guangdong and Zhuhai will do everything we can to meet the needs of Macau’s development.”

“Zhuhai has been conscientiously implementing the requirements of the central and provincial governments. It has also been doing its best to promote an appropriate level of diversified economic development within Macau,” said Yao. “We are creating an environment Macau people and companies will be willing to go to and which is suitable for their development.”

“We made sure to meet the demands of projects involving Macau, we carried out a new round of urban planning revision, and we have reserved sufficient space for the cooperation between Zhuhai and Macau, in Hengqin island and the integrated area, and for the western ecological new era.”

This year, according to Yao, Zhuhai will promote the establishment of the Intelligent Supercomputing Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Science and Technology Research Institute of the University of Macau in Hengqin and will also endorse Macau’s four national key laboratories to set up branches in Hengqin.

Zhuhai also plans to develop 100,000 square meters of office buildings and 10,000 units of rental housing to encourage Macau enterprises to set up offices in Hengqin.

The Zhuhai mayor noted that Zhuhai will play a greater role in promoting Macau’s integration into the overall development of the country and in facilitating the participation of all parties in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. JZ