The Greater Bay Area (GBA)

The Greater Bay Area (GBA)

• 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

Core Cities

• 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

Challenges and Obstacles

• 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

Solutions and Initiatives

• 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 Greater Bay Area (GBA)

• 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

Core Cities

Hong Kong

• Serves as the global financial center
• Offers free flow of capital, making it China's offshore Renminbi center
• Has a robust common law system, ideal for international legal arbitration

Macau

• Functions as an entertainment hub
• Has a unique link to Portugal and former colonies (e.g., Brazil, Mozambique)

Shenzhen

• Serves as a technology and innovation hub
• Headquarters for many Chinese tech giants (e.g., Huawei)

Guangzhou

• 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

Challenges and Obstacles

• 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

Solutions and Initiatives

• 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

A Chinese government plan to integrate 11 cities in the Pearl River Delta, creating an economic and business hub with a large population and GDP.