Hong Kong must better sync up policies with Macau, mainland China: Starry Lee

Starry Lee, who sits on NPC Standing Committee, says more policy coordination between jurisdictions aligns with spirit of third plenum

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A veteran Hong Kong politician has called for greater policy alignment between jurisdictions overseeing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Photo: Eugene Lee

Published: 3:36pm, 31 Aug 2024Updated: 9:19pm, 31 Aug 2024

Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has called for greater policy coordination between the city, Macau and mainland China for crossing procedures for motorists travelling along a mega bridge that connects the three places.

Starry Lee Wai-king, who sits on the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Saturday that enhancing “mechanisms for the alignment and implementation of plans” was covered in the resolution for the third plenary session of the Communist Party’s 20th Central Committee.

She also said that greater coordination between authorities within the Greater Bay Area would honour the spirit of the high-level meeting that took place in July.

The bay area refers to Beijing’s ambitious plan to link Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province into an integrated economic and business hub by 2035.

In the resolution from the third plenum, Beijing urged Hong Kong to contribute to national reform efforts and the opening up of the country.

It also called for the deepening of the country’s technology talent pool and the narrowing of the rural-urban livelihood gap to help uncover new sources of growth and address demographic challenges, which all fell under measures to boost economic resilience.

Lee said that the complicated requirements for using the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which opened in 2018, reflected a failure by authorities to align policies appropriately.