Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Winners 2020 | Page 34

Winning Entries
Macau plays a vital role in the Greater Bay Area’s progress towards further success,
particularly in utilising its strengths to link the mainland with Portuguese-speaking
countries, the EU, and the ASEAN. These credentials firmly establish Macau as a platform
for international exchange. In recent years, Macau has strategized accelerating the growth of
its convention and exhibition industry, cultural and creative offerings, as well as adopting a
role as a service provider for business cooperation between the region and Portugese speaking
countries. It has called for casino operators to focus on gaming elements such as hosting
conferences and cultural events in their casino and hotel establishments. This realignment of
Macau’s focus necessitates cooperation between and advancement of research, the cultivation
of talent, and the widespread application of new technology: all of which would be offered
and enhanced through expertise exchange with Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
In addition, Macau, as a tourism and leisure hub, will establish the Greater Bay Area as
a world-class travel destination. Due to Macau already having outstanding tourist facilities,
it is now developing as a tourism training and education base for the entire region. Building
on its reputation as a city where East meets West, Macau is ideally placed to promote cultural
and language exchange between China and the rest of the world. Macau will facilitate
cultural development with countries that are part of the One Belt, One Road trade route –
particularly those that speak Portuguese.
In spite of these advancements, Macau would still benefit greatly through development of
the GBA and the initiative presents Macau with several opportunities to further its growth.
Macau is small, crowded, and has limited space, which restricts further development and
economic diversification. Fortunately, however, one such option for progressive development
is the development of straying away from economic dependency on its gambling industry.
In other words, Macau could capitalize on the infrastructure of several bases built in
Guangdong, such as the traditional Chinese Medicine, Science, and Technology Industrial
Park in Hengqin. Macau could utilise these resources and branching into the Guangdong
region would also provide new spaces for the transformation of Macau’s industry, along with
new areas for the Macanese people to work and live in. By providing additional residential
space, the GBA would provide a plethora of new opportunities for Macanese. As such,
Macanese residents currently working and living in Guangdong could enjoy the same benefits
as those in mainland China, such as education, medical care, housing, and elderly care. These
facets will be further improved by improving border clearance facilities and the linkage of
several public services, make it easier to travel within the area as it makes it easier to cope
more effectively with immigration and security concerns at the border, and allow bay area
citizens to enjoy equal services respectively.
ICBC, the largest locally registered bank in Macau, is actively participating in the strategy
to develop the Greater Bay Area by promoting the development of Macau’s specialised finance
system. In March 2018, Macau’s government and the ICBC Group signed a memorandum of
cooperation to this effect. With the support of the Macau government and the ICBC Group,
ICBC Macau successfully launched an asset platform for Portuguese-speaking countries in
the second quarter of 2018. ICBC will remain focused on Macau’s strategic position in the
Greater Bay Area and comply with the development of specialised, Silk Road, green, and
marine financial products and services. Further, the bank will also assist Macau by playing a
leading role in the One Belt, One Road initiative and will contribute to creating a vibrant
and internationally competitive city cluster. In no time, the Greater Bay Area will grow to
become a globally renowned hub for tourism, business and culture - with Macau playing
an integral role in this. Hong Kong’s role as a platform for foreign exchange and investment
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