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Constitution and Administration
the HKSAR Government on matters of mutual concern and on arrangements for official visits between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
Regional Cooperation with Mainland
The HKSAR Government is committed to strengthening regional cooperation with the Mainland and performing its role actively as a facilitator and promotor, so as to identify more business and development opportunities for Hong Kong people and enterprises. Hong Kong participates actively in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, deepens regional cooperation through its cooperation mechanisms with the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region, Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, Sichuan and Shenzhen, and promotes regional cooperation with the other provinces and municipalities by adopting a pragmatic approach and launching initiatives once they are ready.
Development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
The Greater Bay Area comprises the two SARs of Hong Kong and Macao as well as nine municipalities in Guangdong, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.
The HKSAR Government has been working closely with central ministries and the Guangdong and Macao governments to draw up an Outline Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area since the National Development and Reform Commission and the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao signed the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Greater Bay Area in July 2017. In the same year, it also agreed expeditiously on three areas of focus with the Guangdong Provincial Government at the Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference, to develop an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub; facilitate the development of sectors in which Hong Kong's strengths lie, such as health care and education, in the Mainland's Greater Bay Area cities; and foster the interconnectivity of the flow of people, goods, capital and information within the Greater Bay Area.
In August, the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, attended the first plenary meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a member in Beijing. The meeting was hosted and convened by Vice Premier Han Zheng of the State Council to discuss work priorities for the next stage of the Greater Bay Area's development. The Leading Group serves as a top-tier body to coordinate and advance the development of the Greater Bay Area. The HKSAR Government will make good use of the Chief Executive's membership, capitalise on Hong Kong's strengths to serve the country's needs, and explore and identify economic, social and livelihood opportunities brought to Hong Kong by the Greater Bay Area development.
The HKSAR Government has also strengthened its internal coordination efforts. As announced in her 2018 Policy Address, the Chief Executive is chairing a high-level Steering Committee for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which comprises all Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaus. The committee is responsible for the overall coordination of matters relating to Hong Kong's participation in the Greater Bay Area development. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau will also set up a Guangdong-
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