The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Talent Cooperation Forum was held at the same time as the 5^th Shenzhen-Hong Kong (Qianhai Bay) Talent Cooperation Annual Meeting earlier today. Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) President Chen Shiyi gave a keynote speech at the forum, which was attended by Shenzhen Municipal Committee members Zheng Ke and Du Peng, Director of Shenzhen Qianhai Shenzhen Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone Administration.

Zheng Ke thanked the conveners for organizing the forum, on behalf of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Party Committee. He said that innovation is an essential driver of urban development for Shenzhen, and Shenzhen believes that being innovation-driven is necessarily the same as being talent-driven, at a global level.

Zheng Ke also said that the full implementation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area development strategy is crucial to the development of urban linkages across the region and will promote in-depth cooperation throughout.

President Chen Shiyi gave his keynote speech about “Building a hub for World-Class Universities to Promote Innovation in the Greater Bay Area.” He said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area has the conditions to become a world-class Bay Area, and Shenzhen has the status as one of the core cities of the Greater Bay Area. Chen Shiyi analyzed the supporting role of talents and higher education in the history of the Greater Bay Area as well as the interactions between cities and universities. When the universities are strong, the city is strong, and when the city is strong, the Bay Area is strong.

In the context of the fourth industrial revolution, there should be strategic development of the Greater Bay Area and Shenzhen. Chen Shiyi also analyzed Shenzhen’s advantages in terms of population, GDP, international patents, and the talent situation. He also introduced the talent data and situation of SUSTech. In response to the development of the Greater Bay Area, Chen Shiyi proposed to accelerate the construction of high-level universities to form a “cluster effect,” linking universities across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Chen Shiyi’s proposal would give full play to the talent pool effect of high-level universities while exploring the talent zone models in the Qianhai and Hetao areas.

Mr. Ng Hak-kim, the former Secretary for Education in the Hong Kong Government, Mr. Song Yonghua, the rector of the University of Macau, and Ms. Dong Ning, the president of the Shenzhen Women’s Makers Association, also gave speeches on the central theme of the forum.

The conference released the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Talent Development Report (Shenzhen). Relevant units in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan introduced the talent policy. The meeting also organized for guests to visit the Qianhai Exhibition Hall and other places.