Gu Shengzu, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and executive vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, called for efforts to advance integrated and innovative development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) during a recent survey tour in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province.

Gu led a team to visit Hengqin New Area and innovation-driven tech companies. He talked with CPPCC members from Zhuhai and Macao, entrepreneurs, scholars and experts at a symposium.

At the meeting, Gu suggested building an innovation ecosystem featuring close integration of education, science and technology, industry and finance, and carrying out big science research plans and projects.

He said that efforts should be made to promote smooth flow of production factors, interconnection of scientific research facilities and integration of innovation chains and personnel exchanges so as to effectively allocate the innovation elements.

Offshore innovation and entrepreneurship bases for high-end talents should be established to promote accumulation of professionals, Gu said, adding that preferential policies and better services should be offered while optimizing the introduction mechanism of knowledge-oriented foreign talents and the technical immigration system.

Gu proposed to improve the multi-level capital market, implement a strategy featuring dislocation and fallback development, establish differentiated financial exchanges, and promote development of characteristic finance.

He said high-quality education and scientific research resources should be brought in and suggested Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools as well as developing local brands to attract overseas students.

Emerging industries, new formats and innovative models of the digital economy should be vigorously promoted, according to Gu.

He also encouraged the digital infrastructure construction, industrialization of digital technology, a service system for industrial digitization and smart city development to promote digital governance.

He said it's necessary to innovate mechanisms, strengthen coordinated development of the GBA and actively bolster the role of the Macao free port as an independent tariff area to create an international trade center and a global hub of digital trade.