Mark Pinkstone says young entrepreneurs in particular stand to benefit from the region’s rapid hi-tech progress

On Thursday, some of the greatest minds from Hong Kong and elsewhere will converge in the city to explore ways in which the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area can develop while expanding cooperation within the Asia-Pacific region. The potential is there, and thanks to the Greater Bay Area’s vast resources, the means are in sight.

Covering an area of 56,000 square kilometers and with a population of 88 million, the Greater Bay Area is a powerhouse to be reckoned with. It connects nine cities in Guangdong province as well as the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. Together, they account for 15 trillion yuan ($2.2 trillion) in gross domestic product, which rivals that of many major global economies.

The Greater Bay Area conference 2026, themed “New Dynamics in Asia-Pacific Cooperation, New Opportunities for GBA Connectivity”, coorganized by China Daily and the Hong Kong Coalition, will gather insights on how to enhance the area’s expertise in financial connectivity, strengths in commercial aerospace, and artificial intelligence in education. It will also explore how Hong Kong can seize strategic opportunities with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as a superconnector, and dovetail its endeavors with the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

Since its inception in 2017, the Greater Bay Area has found its footing and draws on the strengths of its member cities. Shenzhen, for example, is the high-tech and hardware center, often called China’s Silicon Valley. Now with a population of 18 million people, Shenzhen is home to tech giants Huawei, Tencent, BYD, and DJI..

Backing Shenzhen in the technical field is Hong Kong, which is developing the Northern Metropolis University Town along the boundary with Shenzhen. Due for completion in the 2040s, the Northern Metropolis will occupy about one third of Hong Kong’s total land area. It will have a projected population of 2.5 million and provide an estimated 650,000 jobs. These twin cities make a formidable team, with Hong Kong’s major role in the Greater Bay Area being its financing capabilities. Hong Kong’s stock exchange has outstripped the NYSE and the Nasdaq in initial public offering proceeds, which had reached $23 billion by the third quarter of 2025, and it remained in second place globally behind the Nasdaq as of last month.

The integration of Hong Kong into the Greater Bay Area strengthens the city’s role as the world’s largest offshore pool of renminbi funds, RMB payments, and RMB foreign-exchange and interest-rate derivatives markets. Currently, RMB deposits in Hong Kong are hovering around 1.1 trillion yuan ($155 billion), providing liquidity support for global offshore RMB transactions and financial activities. According to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication , more than 75 percent of global offshore RMB payments are processed in Hong Kong.

The Greater Bay Area is one of the world’s larger hubs for manufacturing electronics, robotics, biotechnology, and new materials. Hong Kong is a major hub for international finance, underpinned by the world’s fifth largest stock exchange by market capitalization. Macao is known for its thriving tourism industry, particularly in the gaming sector. Other cities in the Greater Bay Area, such as Zhuhai and Zhongshan, are emerging as key players in the region’s development, thanks to their strategic locations and rapidly growing economies. These cities are seeing significant investment in industries such as technology, advanced manufacturing, and logistics, as the region seeks to diversify its economic base and create new growth opportunities.

The development of the Greater Bay Area will bring about opportunities for young entrepreneurs. The HKSAR government’s GBA Youth Employment Scheme aims to encourage and support the city’s young people to work and pursue their careers in the mainland partner cities of the Greater Bay Area, help them understand the latest developments in both Hong Kong and those cities, and leverage opportunities for career advancement in the Greater Bay Area.

The future lies in education, and within the Greater Bay Area there are more than 50 universities, of which five were ranked the world’s top 70 in the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings 2025. Four universities — one each in Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen and Guangzhou — were ranked in the top 50 in the THE Asia University Rankings 2026. Closer collaboration is expected between these universities and the private sector in research and development.

The Greater Bay Area Conference 2026, coorganized by China Daily and the Hong Kong Coalition and taking place on Thursday, will examine how Hong Kong’s education sector can harness AI to transform teaching models and nurture talent aligned with the needs of the Greater Bay Area and the wider Asia-Pacific markets. It will also highlight the cultivation of high-end aerospace service sectors, empowering the Greater Bay Area to become a leading hub for aerospace innovation and services in the Asia-Pacific region.

The author is a former chief information officer of the Hong Kong government, a public relations and media consultant, and a veteran journalist.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.