The Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is a government‑backed mega‑region that integrates several cities in southern Guangdong – including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macao – into a single world‑class bay area. Yet while its four core cities are internationally recognised for their economic might, innovation, culture and history, the GBA itself remains relatively little known outside China.

With a population of around 87 million people, the Greater Bay Area is an economically and culturally vibrant urban cluster made up of 11 cities, including the nine mainland cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Jiangmen, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Zhaoqing, plus the two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macao.

Economically, the GBA is a juggernaut, generating a gross domestic product (GDP) of over 15 trillion yuan (US$2.2 trillion) in 2025 – about one‑ninth of China’s total economic output, despite accounting for just 0.6 percent of the country’s landmass.

Although the city cluster has been gaining international prominence, Peter Helis, the chief advisor at Guangzhou Huangpu Development District, points out that the region still requires more promotion. 

“As is so often in China, when things take shape and move forward, then suddenly people do pay attention,” says the German native, who has lived in the GBA for over two decades. “For example, right now, the GBA gets worldwide attention because of the innovation drive here.”

Wang Xiaohu, a professor at the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) who studies the GBA, also acknowledges that better marketing of the “relatively new” region is needed, arguing that domestic promotion should take priority. 

How was the GBA established? 

To understand how the Greater Bay Area developed, it helps to look at how earlier Pearl River Delta plans evolved into today’s Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao GBA. 

According to Wang, the idea of establishing a city group in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong can be traced back to the early 2000s, with names such as the Pearl River Delta Urban Development and Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD) being used by the authorities to describe the concept of a megalopolis covering the various cities in the area. 

The idea of a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA didn’t gain national prominence until it was mentioned for the first time in a 2015 Chinese government document on the Belt and Road initiative, which called for the building of a GBA. 

Subsequent government documents and measures over the next several years brought the concept closer to realisation, although Wang notes that the turning point was the release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大灣區發展計劃) in 2019, which he describes as “the most important policy document that really got this initiative going.”

Consisting of eleven chapters, the Outline Development Plan clearly sets out all the key elements needed to bring the GBA into fruition, including its basic principles, strategic positioning, development objectives, as well as implementation. On the basis of this plan, the various regional cities have been working together to develop the GBA. 

Why was the GBA created? 

China created the GBA with a variety of goals in mind. As mentioned in the Outline  Development Plan, the region’s development is intended to “fully leverage the composite advantages of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao,” “deepen cooperation” between the three jurisdictions, “enhance the GBA’s supporting and leading role in the country’s economic development and opening up” and “support the integration of Hong Kong and Macao in the development of the country.” 

On the GBA’s goals, Wang points out that it is a “regional collaboration, seen by the central government as one of the key national initiatives to drive economic development…and innovation.” 

Helis agrees, pointing out that it is an initiative to “slowly merge” the three jurisdictions of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao “under one roof.” 

Is the GBA the same as the Pearl River Delta? 

No, the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area is not the same as the Pearl River Delta. According to Wang, the Pearl River Delta is currently a term largely used to denote a geographic location encompassing the nine mainland cities within the GBA. By contrast, the CityUHK professor points out that the GBA is “more of a strategic developmental initiative” that also covers Hong Kong and Macao, and is aimed at driving innovation and economic development. 

How diverse are the GBA’s cities, systems and economies? 

Diversity is one of the key traits of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area. Unlike other major international bay areas such as the San Francisco Bay Area, New York Bay and Tokyo Bay, the GBA operates under three separate political, legal, customs and currency systems across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, making it an unprecedented undertaking in cross-border integration and collaboration.  

Economically, the various GBA cities each have their strategic positioning. For instance, among the core GBA members, Hong Kong serves as the financial centre, with Shenzhen acting as the high-tech innovation hub, Guangzhou as the cultural, education and traditional industry base, and Macao as the tourism and leisure capital. 

What languages are spoken in the GBA? 

The GBA is a linguistically-diverse territory, although Mandarin and Cantonese are the predominant languages. Mandarin is largely spoken in the mainland cities of the GBA, while Cantonese is the preferred language of locals in the two SARs. 

As a result of their heritage, Macao and Hong Kong also have Portuguese and English as an official language respectively. 

In terms of English, it is not as widely-spoken as Mandarin or Cantonese, with the proficiency in the language varying depending on the background of the interlocutor and the context. Still, Wang maintains that “English is still very important” in the GBA, as the region is a multinationalised place in China. He argues that the language’s importance will continue to grow, as China seeks to take on a leadership role across major industries and attract global talents.  

Aside from the main languages, a range of Chinese dialects is spoken in the region, including Hakka, Teochew and Taishanese. 

What are the advantages of doing business in the GBA?

For foreign companies and mainland firms alike, the Greater Bay Area offers a unique combination of innovation, manufacturing and a huge consumer market in one integrated region. 

Helis highlights three advantages to doing business in the GBA. He notes that the region’s “strongest point” is its “fantastic supply chain,” which gives it an edge over other innovative economic powerhouses such as Silicon Valley or the San Francisco Bay Area, where there is very little local production to complement the significant amount of innovation. 

“If you want to invest in something, if you want to be very innovative, you also need to have easy access to all these kinds of suppliers,” the investment promoter says. “That’s why you have very innovative companies coming and developing here.” 

The second strength he points to is the abundance of talent in the region, which has shifted from cheap labour for mass production to skilled labour over the past decade. 

“We have quite a high concentration of universities here,” Helis notes. “Vocation training is also very strong and those companies that are very innovative also try to nurture their own staff.”

The GBA’s massive market is one other major advantage, with Helis pointing out that the region’s tremendous economic output last year exceeded that of Canada, while its population is on par with that of Germany. 

“If you’re a business owner, there’s just two things that you will look at,” Helis says. “One is ‘can I sell my goods?’ Secondly, ‘if I produce here, can I produce them cost effectively with good access to labour?’ That’s what we have here.” 

How are the cities in the GBA connected with flights, bridges and transport? 

On a physical level, Wang points out that the GBA cities are relatively well-connected to one another via infrastructure such as roads, bridges and airports – part of an official drive to create a “one-hour living circle” for the region. Some of the most prominent examples of these physical links include the 55 kilometre Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the longest sea bridge in the world; the 24 kilometre Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, and China Railway Guangzhou Group’s expansive railway system across the region. 

The CityUHK academic, however, points out that there is still more work to be done at a policy level, as the governments in the GBA work to further integrate their policies and facilitate the free movement of people, capital, goods and data. 

“The goal for the next level is not just the physical level of integration, but [interconnectedness] at the policy level and to overcome institutional barriers such as different currencies [and] different legal systems,” Wang says. 

How important is the Greater Bay Area to China and the world’s economy? 

The GBA contains three out of China’s top six cities by economic output. The region is home to various key players in the world economy, whether it be the financial centre of Hong Kong, the innovative hub of Shenzhen or the manufacturing powerhouses of Dongguan and Huizhou. 

Aside from business and investment opportunities, Helis points out that the GBA is also an area for international business delegations to learn from China. 

“Before, China was emulating the Western world. Now the Westerners are coming in and saying, ‘perhaps we can also learn from China,’” he says, adding that this is especially the case with cities such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou, where the low-altitude economy is leaps and bounds ahead of other places, with drones able to deliver goods and autonomous take-off. 

Is there a GBA identity emerging between the different cities in the GBA? 

As the 11 GBA cities continue to grow closer year by year, the question of whether or not a GBA identity is emerging is becoming increasingly relevant. In a previous article, the Bay concluded that such a regional identity had not fully developed yet, as most people in the area continued to identify with their respective city. 

Wang holds the same view, contending that people in the region will continue to associate with their own cities at least in the short term. He cites examples such as the bay areas in Tokyo, San Francisco and New York, where residents still link their identity to their own cities. 

What challenges does the GBA face? 

Global awareness of China’s Greater Bay Area is still limited outside specialist circles, even as the region’s economic weight grows. As Helis points out, “we definitely need to double down on the marketing, to spread the word and to show the world that it’s a business area, but it’s actually also a very, very nice place to live.” 

Having lived in the area since 2003, the Guangzhou investment promoter highlights some of the GBA’s natural offerings, including its hiking trails, cycling tracks, as well as running and bird-watching areas. Promoting this livability aspect of the GBA is important for attracting talent, as Helis stresses that they also consider other areas outside of business. 

Meanwhile, Wang mentions that ongoing challenges facing the GBA such as overcoming the institutional barriers arising from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao’s different systems, will continue to persist. At the same time, the academic argues that geopolitical rivalries, especially between the US and China, could “significantly impact the GBA’s role as an international gateway.” 

What role is played by the smaller cities in the GBA? 

Although core GBA cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao tend to get the limelight, Wang argues that the smaller cities in the region are equally important. 

He states that the less prominent GBA cities tend to be overlooked even though they supply the region with further room for growth and development. According to the professor, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Zhaoqing, Jiangmen and Foshan all exhibit “tremendous potential for growth for tourism, elderly care, industrial base and green development.”

Meanwhile, Helis notes that smaller cities house highly influential companies. For instance, he describes Foshan as the “home of the Chinese hidden champions,” as it is the headquarters of major firms such as the electronic manufacturer Midea, and real estate developer Country Garden. 

What’s the future for the GBA? 

The 2019 Outline Development Plan clearly sets a deadline of 2035 for the GBA to be transformed into an international, world-class economic and social powerhouse that is largely underpinned by innovation and technology. Wang is confident that the region will achieve this goal due to its unique positioning. For instance, Hong Kong’s strong science and engineering education sector, Shenzhen’s growing list of high-end tech companies and Dongguan’s positioning as a manufacturing base all serve to complement one another, helping the region to realise its developmental goal. 

The CityUHK academic and Helis also believe that further integration will transpire. Helis expects the GBA’s “already excellent” infrastructure to continue improving over the next two decades, creating “a mega cluster of 90 million people living together within a range of one hour’s drive or, very soon, 30-minute flights” –  a reference to the region’s burgeoning low-altitude economy that could see people zipping between Macao and Guangzhou through passenger drones. 

Wang, on the other hand, believes that further integration will happen at a policy level, with the process already taking place in areas such as health care, education, as well as professional qualification standards. In terms of unifying standards, the authorities have already made some headway, as there are currently 270 GBA standards that have already been devised.