Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), accentuated the many advantages and great prospects for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during the Greater Bay Science Forum 2021, which opened in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Dec 11.

Leung said as the bay area enjoys the dual advantages of "one country" and "two systems", new progress that resembles a chemical reaction is on the horizon when combining the strengths of Hong Kong and Macao in international connections and networks with Guangdong as an industrial powerhouse.

As a "super-connector" between the mainland and the international arena, Hong Kong faces great development opportunities in this strategic initiative and there are a lot of things that the city needs to do, can do and that are worth doing, according to Leung.

In the science and technology sector, he said Hong Kong can help promote exchanges and cooperation, facilitate investment and financing, and also attract international and returned Chinese talents for the bay area.  

In their video speeches, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Ho Iat-seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, pledged to deep S&T cooperation in the bay area. Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui also said the coastal province has been committed to pursuing innovation-driven growth with solid progress that has been made since 2017.

The forum, themed "Exploring the Future, Sharing Scientific Achievement", was initiated by the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO) under the Belt and Road Initiative. More than 100 academicians and experts from around the world attended the event online and in person to discuss topics that included life science, nano-science, network communication and sustainable development.