On June 26, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held a consultation meeting in Beijing on the handling of a key proposal regarding further developing the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. Ho Hau Wah, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

Emphasizing the vital role of Hengqin in the practice of "one country, two systems" in the new era, Ho called for a thorough understanding of Hengqin's position in promoting Macao's moderately diversified economic development and bold approaches in innovating and piloting practices to jointly write a new chapter in regional coordinated development.

He urged pragmatic planning for the second phase of the zone's development with a focus on deeper integration between Hengqin and Macao. This would include improving work mechanisms, facilitating regulatory "soft connectivity", optimizing industrial planning, intensifying investment promotion, and enhancing public services and social security systems to ensure steady progress.

Ho also encouraged closer communication and consultation between proposal-handling agencies and CPPCC members, with a focus on improving quality and efficiency so that the outcomes of proposal handling could lead to concrete progress in the zone's high-quality development.

At the meeting, representatives from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) provided an overview of the zone's development. Several CPPCC members outlined the background of the proposal, discussed related issues and offered suggestions.

Officials from the NDRC, the General Administration of Customs, and the National Immigration Administration spoke of the progress in handling the proposal and responded to related questions. 

Topics discussed at the meeting included innovating the business environment, accelerating the development of traditional Chinese medicine, attracting high-end international talents and building an international air cargo hub on the western bank of the Pearl River.