Bay 'on cusp of direct travel with southbound scheme'

A spokesman for China’s top political advisory body said on Tuesday the Greater Bay Area was entering a new era of direct cross‑boundary travel following the successful rollout of the scheme allowing Guangdong vehicles to drive into Hong Kong. Liu Jieyi, spokesman for the fourth session of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) national committee, was speaking at a news conference a day before this year's session, which runs until next Wednesday. He said Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao made strong progress in integration last year – co‑hosting the 15th National Games, co-ordinating policies and regulations, and staging a major sporting event that showcased the bay’s institutional strengths and unity. Liu pointed out that the elderly health care voucher pilot scheme now covered all nine bay cities and that there was a growing number of designated medical institutions serving Hong Kong and Macao residents living and working on the mainland. "In today's Greater Bay Area, roads link the three places, cities blend into one another, and the hearts beat as one. A world-class bay area and globally significant city clusters are emerging rapidly," he said. He said the CPPCC national committee would continue to offer proposals to boost co-operation between Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland and help the two SARs better integrate into and serve the country’s overall development. On China's economy, Liu said the country had shown resilience and vitality despite a turbulent external environment and would maintain a positive long‑term growth trend. Domestic consumption and tourism figures point to solid economic fundamentals, he added. "While there are still some old issues and new challenges, the Chinese economy enjoys solid fundamentals, plentiful strengths, strong resilience and vast potential. The supporting conditions and overall long-term positive trend remain unchanged," Liu said. Edited by Thomas McAlinden