HK could lead delta region
By Alfons Chan (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-03 08:37

Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua said this on the sidelines of the second meeting of the Pan-Pearl River Regional Co-operation and Development Forum held Wednesday.

"Hong Kong excels as a service provider and has long been a world centre for finance, trade, shipping and information. This is the city's greatest advantage," Huang said.

He said Hong Kong could be a "dragon head" in leading the pan-delta region towards international co-operation in economic, science and technology sectors.

Chief Executive of Macao Edmund Ho Hau-wah stressed that co-operation in the pan-delta region will help promote economic integration.

"Economic co-operation in the region conforms with emerging trends and will push forward complementary economic development," Ho told the forum.

He said Macao's government will actively participate in co-operative efforts under the pan-delta framework.

Chief executives of Hong Kong and Macao, along with the governors of the nine areas in the region, were joined by speakers from Macao's academic and business sectors.

The guest speakers identified new opportunities for Macao and its role in the economic integration of the pan-delta region.

With the implementation of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and the China-ASEAN free trade zone, Macao is poised to play an important role in regional co-operation, said Hoi Sai-lun, President of the Macao General Association of Trade.

"Pan-delta economic co-operation will give added impetus to the city's gaming and tourism industries, while encouraging political stability and consolidating the territory as a premier entertainment capital in the region," Chairman of the Macao Association of the Catering Industry Chan Chak-mo said.

Meanwhile, academics gave recommendations for the implementation of the Pan-Pearl River Delta concept.

"The 11 areas in the Pan-delta group must establish a co-ordinating mechanism to foster economic partnership," said Professor Leong Tou-hong from the Macao Polytechnic Institute.

A common platform in the region for forging closer ties and eliminating territorial barriers will benefit regional integration, he added.

The pan-delta region should also enhance collaborative efforts in science, education and cultural development, said Liu Renhuai, president of the Guangzhou Jinan University.

The first Pan-Pearl River Delta forum will close in Guangzhou today.

Provincial leaders will sign a joint-agreement covering infrastructure, agriculture, investment, technology and tourism.

The forum advocates the concept of forming a common economic market spanning 11 areas in the region, also known as "9--2".

It encompasses the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

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