(Originally published in the Development Bureau’s Facebook page on 15 March)

The National People’s Congress has approved the “Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035” (the 14th Five-Year Plan), which is the blueprint and action agenda for economic and social development of the country in the next five years.

The 14th Five-Year Plan supports the strategy of high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Development Bureau (DEVB) has also been actively promoting the integration of Hong Kong’s construction and engineering sectors into the country’s overall development along this direction. Amongst the various measures implemented, the “Interim Guidelines for the Management of Hong Kong Engineering Construction Consultant Enterprises and Professionals Starting Business and Practising in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cities (Interim Guidelines)” took effect from 1 January this year.

The Interim Guidelines is the concerted effort of the DEVB and the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Guangdong Province. It enables companies on the two lists of architectural and engineering consultants managed by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and professionals registered with relevant registration boards in Hong Kong, to obtain corresponding qualifications in the Mainland by way of registration, so that they can provide services in the GBA directly and assist in the development of the GBA into a world-class bay area.

In order to enable Hong Kong enterprises and professionals to showcase their leading-edge construction expertise through the Interim Guidelines, the DEVB will continue to discuss with relevant authorities in the Mainland to explore the introduction of more suitable measures for trial in the nine cities of the GBA. For example, the adoption of Hong Kong’s project management model to promote high-quality construction in the Mainland construction industry based on Hong Kong’s experience and practices. Moreover, we will explore with the Construction Industry Council (CIC) the setting up of a CIC liaison office in the GBA, which will co-ordinate the collaboration between Mainland and Hong Kong contractors in participating in development projects in the GBA.

On the other hand, the DEVB has signed co-operation agreements with the three free trade zones in the Guangdong Province including Qianhai of Shenzhen, Hengqin of Zhuhai and Nansha of Guangzhou with a view to promoting exchanges and co-operation in terms of technical expertise and management between the construction and engineering sectors of the two places. Among the three free trade zones, Qianhai of Shenzhen and Hengqin of Zhuhai have already rolled out facilitation measures similar to those of the Interim Guidelines so that eligible Hong Kong construction and engineering enterprises and professionals can acquire corresponding qualifications in the Mainland by way of registration for participating in the development of the two free trade zones. Looking forward, the DEVB will explore with relevant authorities of Nansha of Guangzhou the implementation of measures similar to those of Qianhai of Shenzhen and Hengqin of Zhuhai in order to facilitate Hong Kong enterprises and professionals to provide services in Nansha.

To conclude, with the support of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the DEVB and the construction and engineering sectors will make a concerted effort to grasp the opportunities brought by the country’s “Dual Circulation” strategy. We will also take the GBA development as an entry point to better integrate into the overall development of the country, which will bring continuous impetus to Hong Kong’s construction industry.