The Development Bureau (DEVB) today (September 7) held with the Bureau of Territorial and Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province (DNRGP) and the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Guangdong Province (DHURDGP) a conference for Hong Kong's architectural, surveying, planning, landscape architectural and engineering sectors to introduce a number of preferential policies and liberalisation measures to facilitate the starting of businesses and practising in the nine Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) by the related enterprises and professionals.

     The conference, held simultaneously in Beijing, Guangdong and Hong Kong, was co-hosted via video conferencing by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong; the Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of Territorial and Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ms Men Xiaoying; the Chief Engineer of the DNRGP, Mr Zhu Guoming; and the Deputy Director-General of the DHURDGP, Mr Cai Ying. Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr Tan Tieniu; the Deputy Director-General of the Qianhai Authority, Mr Xie Huihui; the Deputy Director-General of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area, Ms Zheng Huixian; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Lam Sai-hung; the Under Secretary for Development, Mr Liu Chun-san; the Commissioner for the Development of the GBA, Mr Tommy Yuen; the Director of Planning, Mr Ivan Chung; the Chairman of the Construction Industry Council, Mr Chan Ka-kui; and over 100 representatives from the related professional institutions, associations and registration boards as well as enterprises also participated in the conference.

     The DNRGP promulgated the new measures under the "Management for Registration of Hong Kong and Macao Planning Professional Enterprises Starting Businesses in Guangdong Province" at the conference, which include expanding the coverage of the registration measures in the GBA to enable Hong Kong planning professional enterprises as well as professionals registered with the Planners Registration Board in Hong Kong to directly provide services in Guangdong Province (including the nine Mainland cities of the GBA) after registration.

     Mr Wong stated in his speech that the National 14th Five-Year Plan supports the strategy of high-quality development of the GBA, and the DEVB has been actively promoting the integration of Hong Kong's construction and engineering sectors into the country's overall development along this direction. The launch of a number of preferential measures for Hong Kong offers uplifting news for the industry, reaffirming the achievement of the long-term collaboration between Guangdong and Hong Kong, and reflecting the support and recognition of the Central Authorities for Hong Kong. He expressed the hope that the related enterprises and professionals in Hong Kong can grasp the opportunities in the development of the GBA and expand their businesses. The DEVB and the construction and engineering sectors will continue to make concerted efforts and 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.

     At the conference, participants were also briefed on the registration measures formulated by the DEVB with the DHURDGP, the Qianhai Authority and the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area. Effective from January 1 this year, the measures promulgated by the DHURDGP under 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" cover four professional sectors in architecture, engineering, surveying and landscape architecture, allowing consultant firms on the two government lists, i.e. the lists of the Architectural and Associated Consultants Selection Board and the Engineering & Associated Consultants Selection Board, as well as professionals registered with relevant registration boards in Hong Kong, to be able to directly provide services in the GBA by obtaining equivalent qualifications in the Mainland through a registration system. Up to now, 45 enterprises and 189 professionals have completed registration. Similar measures have also been promulgated in Qianhai and Hengqin. In addition to the consultant firms on the two above-mentioned government lists, these measures also cover companies on the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works, as well as company members of the relevant professional institutions or associations. The measures took effect in Qianhai from October 2020 and in Hengqin from December 2019, and, up to now, a total of 51 enterprises and 331 professionals have completed registration in these two free trade zones. 

Ends/Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Issued at HKT 16:32

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