The government of Guangdong province plans to spearhead the integrated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to a strategy outlined in its recommendations for drafting the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

According to the blueprint released on Monday, the southern province aims to serve as the "main force" and "driver" of Greater Bay Area development and will work with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to turn the 11-city cluster into an innovation and industrial hub.

The document says efforts will focus on advancing integrated development by improving infrastructure connectivity, aligning rules and mechanisms, and strengthening people-to-people exchanges. Guangdong will work with the two SARs to refine consultation and cooperation mechanisms and build a multilevel, comprehensive framework for collaboration.

The plan also underscores the importance of leveraging key cooperation platforms — including Qianhai, Hengqin and Nansha — to drive regional integration. Their pilot and demonstration roles are expected to be strengthened so they can better implement major policies, pursue reforms and push forward significant projects.

In Hengqin, authorities will accelerate integration with Macao. The second phase of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone will be advanced, with an optimized "separate line management" system and faster development of the zone's "four new industries". These include: sci-tech research and high-end manufacturing; traditional Chinese medicine; cultural tourism, conventions and exhibitions; and modern finance. The goal is to support Macao's economic diversification.

Under the "separate line management" policy, two lines operate in Hengqin. The first separates Macao and Hengqin, while the second divides Hengqin from other Chinese customs territories. Each line operates under distinct personnel and tax management rules.

Nansha, meanwhile, will receive support to develop high-tech and port-adjacent industries. Guangzhou's free trade zone is slated to become a comprehensive services hub for Chinese companies expanding overseas.

Zheng Yongnian, director of the School of Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), said the Greater Bay Area is positioned to become the world's largest economic hub and a global leader in science and technology innovation by 2035, once deeper integration among the 11 cities is achieved.

Globally, tech and production capacity are highly concentrated in China and the United States, with several key regions holding dominant roles. China's strengths lie in three areas — the Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region — Zheng said.

While acknowledging Guangdong's remaining gaps in science and technology, Zheng said the province should build a large-scale sci-tech system to nurture new quality productive forces and accelerate commercialization of applied technologies to strengthen manufacturing and create new industrial clusters.

Dai Zhipeng, an assistant professor at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University's Faculty of Economics, said hurdles remain in the cross-boundary flow of key factors in the Greater Bay Area, including mutual recognition of professional qualifications, cross-boundary financing and settlement, and cross-boundary data transfer.

"Cross-boundary integration not only involves regulatory frameworks and service standards, but also social and administrative systems. At the heart of breaking down development barriers lies the alignment of systems and rules," he said.