The Greater Bay Area (GBA)

Study Notes

Refers to the Chinese government's plan to link 11 cities in the Pearl River Delta into an integrated economic and business hub
Total area: around 56,000 square kilometers
Total population: 86 million people
Combined GDP: approximately 1.7 trillion US dollars in 2020
Economically, it has overtaken the San Francisco Bay Area and is only slightly behind the Tokyo Bay Area

Hong Kong: serves as the global financial center
- Free flow of capital makes it China's offshore Renminbi center
- Robust common law system makes it ideal for international legal arbitration
Macau: entertainment hub
- Unique link to Portugal and former colonies (e.g., Brazil, Mozambique)
Shenzhen: technology and innovation hub
- Headquarters for many Chinese tech giants (e.g., Huawei)
Guangzhou: transport hub and advanced manufacturing center
- Expanding airport and key role in building a 700-kilometer railway by 2035

Bringing together very different cities with different social systems, legal systems, and market connectivity
Economic imbalances between first-tier cities and smaller municipalities
Competition and mismatch of resources in certain regions and sectors
Outflow of population towards first-tier cities

Chinese government has eased some policies to facilitate integration
Hong Kong lawyers can provide legal services in GBA's nine municipalities on specified CFO and commercial matters
Plans to implement some Hong Kong laws in Shanghai's courts
Hanchin area in Zhuhai to be run under a joint leadership model with a committee comprising Macau's Chief Executive and Guangdong Province's Governor

The GBA is a Chinese government's plan to integrate 11 cities in the Pearl River Delta into an economic and business hub
Covers an area of around 56,000 square kilometers
Has a population of 86 million people
Combined GDP of approximately 1.7 trillion US dollars in 2020
Economically, it has overtaken the San Francisco Bay Area and is only slightly behind the Tokyo Bay Area

Functions as a transport hub and advanced manufacturing center
Has an expanding airport and a key role in building a 700-kilometer railway by 2035

Integrating cities with different social systems, legal systems, and market connectivity
Economic imbalances between first-tier cities and smaller municipalities
Competition and mismatch of resources in certain regions and sectors
Outflow of population towards first-tier cities

Eased policies to facilitate integration by the Chinese government
Hong Kong lawyers can provide legal services in GBA's nine municipalities on specified CFO and commercial matters
Plans to implement some Hong Kong laws in Shanghai's courts
Hanchin area in Zhuhai to be run under a joint leadership model with a committee comprising Macau's Chief Executive and Guangdong Province's Governor