国内英语新闻:Outline development plan for Greater Bay Area brings opportunities for Hong Kong: official

HONG KONG, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will enrich the practice of "one country, two systems" and provide more development opportunities for Hong Kong, an official said.

"One country, two systems" is the biggest feature of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and also the largest advantage, Patrick Nip, secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The Chinese authorities on Monday unveiled the outline development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, aiming to develop the region into "a role model of high-quality development."

Based on the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong can help more overseas enterprises go to the mainland and help more mainland enterprises go overseas, he said, adding that this will boost the opening-up of the Greater Bay Area.

With the strengths of the "one country, two systems" principle, the Greater Bay Area can achieve the most synergy effect in finance, advanced manufacturing or innovative technology, he said.

The central government has attached great importance to the views of the HKSAR government in the course of formulating the plan, he noted.

The plan says the bay area will be turned into a vibrant world-class city cluster, a globally influential international innovation and technology hub, an important support pillar for the Belt and Road Initiative, a showcase for in-depth cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, and a quality living circle for living, working and traveling.

Nip said the plan highlights not only economic aspects, bust also people's livelihood and other social aspects, but also on how people can improve their life through the development of the Greater Bay Area.

The plan puts much attention on the youth and the HKSAR government will build more platforms to boost innovation and entrepreneurship among the youth, he said.

In the past year, the central government has adopted a series of concrete measures to make it more convenient for Hong Kong residents to study, work or live in the mainland, involving purchase of railway tickets and simplified application procedures to study, work or live in the mainland, he said.

Nip said that fully and faithfully implementing the principle of "one country, two systems," as well as acting in strict adherence to the HKSAR Basic Law will be the guiding ideology for the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Innovative mentality is also necessary for mapping out concrete measures to implement the blueprint, he added.