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E-mail China.org.cn, July 7, 2024
Zhinews of Shenzhen Satellite TV:
We have noticed that Guangxi has been engaging extensively with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Last month, Guangxi organized economic, trade and cultural exchange activities in Hong Kong and Macao, leading to the signing of letters of intent on comprehensive cooperation. Regarding further integration and exchange with the Greater Bay Area, what specific measures will Guangxi undertake to enhance the connectivity and exchange among those regions? Thank you.
Lan Tianli:
Thank you for your question. Mr. Bai will answer this question.
Bai Songtao:
Thank you for your question. Guangxi shares similarities with the Greater Bay Area in terms of geographical proximity, culture affinity and language. Nearly half of Guangxi's population speaks Cantonese, and there are over six million Guangxi residents working in Guangdong year-round, indicating immense cooperation potential. In recent years, we have actively integrated into the construction of the Greater Bay Area and are fully committed to becoming a crucial strategic hinterland for the Greater Bay Area.
We are striving to become a hub for transportation and logistics. In terms of passenger flow, Guangxi and the Greater Bay Area have formed a 3-hour high-speed rail traffic circle. You can depart Nanning in the morning for tea and business meetings in Guangzhou, then go shopping in Hong Kong and Macao in the afternoon, and return to Nanning in the evening to eat laoyou rice noodles. In terms of logistics, Beibu Gulf Port ranks among the top 10 ports in the country for cargo throughput. The Xijiang River golden waterway is a bustling shipping lane. In 2023, the Changzhou ship lock in Wuzhou recorded a total cargo volume of over 180 million metric tons, becoming China's largest ship lock on river waterways in terms of cargo transportation. We will accelerate the construction of comprehensive transportation channels connecting Guangdong and Guangxi, and reaching Hong Kong, Macao and ASEAN countries, and work to open up wider.
We are catering to industrial development of surrounding areas. We combine capital, technology, talent and other elements in the Greater Bay Area with Guangxi's advantages in areas such as location, resources and ecology. With industrial parks along the border and near ports and the China-ASEAN industrial cooperation zone as important carriers, we undertake industrial transfer from eastern regions in an orderly manner. More and more enterprises from the Greater Bay Area are now investing and settling in Guangxi. In 2023, over 30% of investment in Guangxi came from the Greater Bay Area.
We are striving to become a hub for sci-tech innovation. The Greater Bay Area has notable advantages in sci-tech innovation. We will deepen scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, and comprehensively improve our sci-tech innovation ability and the transformation of sci-tech achievements, based on the platforms commissioned by the country, such as the ASEAN-oriented Cooperation Zone for Scientific and Technological Innovation, the demonstration zone for industry-education partnership featuring integrated development of industries, education and think tanks, as well as the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center.
We are striving to ensure the supply of resources and production factors. Endowed with abundant resources, Guangxi has become a crucial supply base for building materials, non-ferrous metals, agricultural and sideline products, as well as electricity in the Greater Bay Area. Also, 70% of the steel used in home appliances in the Pearl River Delta is produced in Guangxi. Guangxi is also an important "vegetable garden" for the Greater Bay Area. Currently, about 40% of fresh vegetables on the dining tables of Hong Kong and Macau compatriots are from Guangxi.
We are striving to create a better ecological environment. Guangxi is the water source and the ecological "back garden" of the Greater Bay Area. We continue to carry out comprehensive management of key river basins such as for the Xijiang River and Jiuzhou River, ensuring that water quality is stable and meets the requisite standards. Our goal is to make it a reality that "clear water flows eastward." As a water source for the Greater Bay Area, the Datengxia water conservancy hydropower project has cumulatively replenished more than 2.5 billion cubic meters of water for it, effectively ensuring water supply there.
That's all from me. Thank you.
