行政长官李家超昨日率团访问广州和深圳，就深化粤港合作、深港合作、推进粤港澳大湾区建设、实现高质量发展进行深入交流，双方一致同意着重发展人才流动、人员培训和教育、科技创新、金融发展等领域，并将通过13个专班负责落实。这样的深入交流非常及时，也很有意义，接下来要抓紧抓实每一项合作计划，务求早日见效。

　　随着两地今年一月恢复通关，粤港澳大湾区建设按下“加速键”。李家超昨日以“三个第一次”形容广东之行：上任后第一次，恢复通关后第一次，也是第一次拜访广东省委书记黄坤明。李家超选择从西九搭乘高铁去广州，也是切身感受大湾区“一小时生活圈”带来的便利。

　　粤港澳大湾区建设是一篇大文章。广东和香港各有优势，双方合作可谓强强联手，空间无限，机遇无限。黄坤明昨日会见李家超时，表达了对香港发展的大力支持；他希望粤港两地保持密切沟通、高效联动，持续推进规则机制的“软联通”和基础建设的“硬联通”，抓好横琴、前海、南沙等重大合作平台建设；充分发挥双方优势，加强合作，共同推进大湾区国际创科中心、综合性科学中心和高水平人才高地建设，构建具国际竞争力的现代化产业体系。李家超则希望以机制创新推进软硬联通，便捷人流、物流、信息流、资金流的双向流通，为发展注入更强动能。

　　双方都强调了“联通”，联通正是大湾区合作的关键。在基础建设方面的联通，相对容易推进。在口岸建设上，皇岗口岸已经重建，罗湖口岸进行了改造，莲塘／香园围口岸刚刚开通使用，大大便利了两地人流及物流的往来。北部都会区建设是加强双方合作的另一个契机，可以辐射广东省，双方加强合作可产生协同效应，令整体所产生的经济效益更大，这需要双方不断探索。

　　在规则机制的“软联通”方面，也不断取得进展。中央大力支持大湾区合作，中国人民银行、银保监会、证监会、外汇局以及广东省政府昨日联合发布《关于金融支持前海深港现代服务业合作区全面深化改革开放的意见》，提出30条金融改革创新举措，涵盖民生金融、金融市场互联互通、现代金融业发展、促进跨境贸易和投融资便利化、加强金融监管合作等方面，为前海建设粤港澳大湾区重大合作平台提供实质的金融支撑。前海30条在李家超首访广东的同一天公布，并非巧合，反映了中央的大力支持。香港方面需要仔细研究这些举措，抓住前海等平台建设的机遇，充分发挥自己的优势和价值。

　　在人才交流方面，内地推出往来港澳人才签注政策，正是配合香港的“抢人才”政策。香港“高才通”政策推出两个月，有逾万人申请，近八千人获批，其中大部分来自内地。香港发展创科所需要的人才，正由内地源源不断地输入，两地人才如何互动、怎么才能达到人才的合理配置，而不是变成“互抢”？这需要双方沟通磨合，以实现共赢。

　　李家超首访广州和深圳后，接下来还会去澳门及湾区其他内地城市。此前一天，香港与深圳方面就深入合作达成三份协议。四月份，李家超还将率领包括立法会议员在内的大湾区访问团。类似沟通将日渐频密，最重要的还是坐言起行。大湾区高质量发展机遇多，需要扎实推进，因为机不可失，时不我待！

Win-win cooperation with combined strength opens more opportunities for development of the Greater Bay Area

　　Leading a delegation, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu visited Guangzhou and Shenzhen yesterday to carry out an extensive exchange of views on how to deepen Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation and Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation, to push forward with the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the Greater Bay Area), and to achieve high-quality development. Both sides reached an agreement on deepening cooperation in such fields as personnel exchange, training and education, scientific and technological innovation and financial development. And 13 special task forces would be set up to oversee their implementation. Such an extensive exchange of views is very timely and also of great significance. The next step is to take heed of each of such cooperation plans and see to it that they produce the desired results at the soonest possible time.

　　With resumption of travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong in January, development of the Greater Bay Area is accelerated. John Lee used the words "three firsts" to describe his Guangdong tour: his first visit [to Guangdong] after taking office, his first visit after the boundary reopening, and his first meeting with Huang Kunming, the secretary of Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Also, John Lee opted for taking the high speed rail from West Kowloon to Guangzhou to personally experience the "one-hour living circle" convenience within the Greater Bay Area.

　　Development of the Greater Bay Area is a huge project. Guangdong and Hong Kong both have their distinctive strengths, so their cooperation could be said a win-win cooperation with no boundary but unlimited opportunities. In meeting with John Lee yesterday, Huang Kunming delivered his firm support to Hong Kong's development, and voiced his that Guangdong and Hong Kong maintain close communication and efficient interaction to keep promoting "software connection" in rules and mechanisms and "hardware connection" in infrastructure construction, to devote efforts to the building of such major cooperation platforms as Hengqin, Qianhai and Nansha, to bring into full play both sides' advantages and strengthen cooperation to jointly turn the Greater Bay Area into an international innovation and technology hub, a comprehensive science center and a high-level talent highland, and build a modernised industrial system with international competitiveness. John Lee, on the other hand, expressed his hope that software and hardware connections could be promoted through mechanism innovation to facilitate the two-way flows of personnel, goods and information so as to inject stronger driving energy for development.

　　Both sides stressed on "connection", which is exactly key to cooperation in the Greater Bay Area. Comparatively, connection in infrastructure construction is easier to push forward. Regarding construction of control points, Huanggang Port has already been rebuilt, Lo Wu Control Point renovated, and Liantang / Heung Yuen Wai Control Point recently opened, which greatly facilitate two-way flows of personnel and goods between the two sides. Development of the Northern Metropolis offers another opportunity for the two sides' cooperation, which could well extend to Guangdong Province. Strengthening cooperation between the two sides could achieve synergy effects to produce greater economic benefits as a whole. This requires both sides to keep probing.

　　As for "software connection" in rules and mechanisms, progress is also being steadily made. The Central Government gives strong support to cooperation in the Greater Bay Area. The People's Bank of China (PBoC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) and the People's Government of Guangdong jointly promulgated the Opinion on Providing Financial Support for the Comprehensive Deepening Reform and Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone (the Opinion) yesterday, which sets out 30 measures on financial reform and innovation, covering financial services relating to people's livelihood, mutual access between financial markets, development of modern financial services industry, facilitation of cross-boundary trade and financing, strengthening financial regulatory co-operation, etc. It provides substantial financial support for building Qianhai into a major cooperation platform for the development of the Greater Bay Area. It is by no means coincidental that the Opinion was publicised on the same day when John Lee visited Guangdong, which instead shows the Central Government's strong support. Hong Kong should make a careful study of these measures so as to take the opportunities of building platforms in Qianhai and other places to bring into full play of its own strength and values.

　　As for personnel exchange, Mainland authorities have recently introduced an "exit endorsement for talents" policy, which is actually to coordinate with Hong Kong's "Competing for Talents" policy. In the two months since its introduction, Hong Kong's Top Talent Pass Scheme has attracted over 10,000 applicants with 8,000 given the green light, and most of them are from the Mainland. Talented people Hong Kong needs to develop innovation and technology are flowing in from the Mainland incessantly. In what way shall talented people interact? How can rational allocation of talented people be attained, instead of becoming "competing for talents" with each other? This requires the two sides to communicate and adjust so as to achieve win-win.

　　After his first visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, John Lee will go on to visit Macao and other Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. Just a day before, Hong Kong and Shenzhen reached three agreements on deepening cooperation. In April, John Lee will lead another delegation, whose members will include some Legislative Council (Legco) members, to make a tour in the Greater Bay Area. Similar communications will become increasingly frequent, yet the most important thing is to put words into action. There are many high-quality development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area that need to be cultivated in a down-to earth way.  For, opportunity knocks but once while the clock is ticking!