Leveraging Strengths and Connectivity

The “GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026” Showcases Greater Bay Area Opportunities

 

　　The “GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026”, as a premier annual business event co-organised by Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), alongside the Pearl River Delta Council (PRD Council) under FHKI, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), moved to Nansha this year. The event themed “Leveraging Hong Kong’s International Advantages: Connectivity among the Greater Bay Area and the Globe”. It was honoured by the participation of C Y Leung, Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who delivered a live streaming keynote speech; John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who delivered pre-recorded remarks; Liu Wei, Standing Member of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Nansha District Committee, along with Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, served as officiating guests. Over a thousand elites from the Government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors across Guangdong and Hong Kong joined the summit and exchange banquet, successfully promoted communication and cross-sectoral cooperation of the two places and gathered opportunities for the development of new industries and jointly venturing into the global market.

 

　　Anthony Lam, Chairman of FHKI, highlighted in his speech, “Hong Kong and Nansha share complementary advantages and unlimited potential for cooperation. While technological collaboration and joint in global expansion is an important path to enhance competitiveness and open up new prospects, strengthening the strategic alliance of the two cities in technological innovation will undoubtedly inject new momentum into the Greater Bay Area for building a world-leading industrial hub jointly.”

 

　　C Y Leung, Vice-Chairperson of the CPPCC, stated, “As a comparative advantage of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong, under the ‘One Country, Two systems’ framework, is able to further integrate into the region's broader development by capitalising on its distinctive strengths. This includes its robust rule of law, high credibility both domestically and internationally, and a high level of internationalisation. Hong Kong can play a pivotal role in supporting Guangdong’s ongoing reforms, and help the three regions overcome final hurdles and achieve high-quality development.” He added, “Hong Kong's strengths are exemplified by the relatively advanced development of social organisations, such as chambers of commerce, with FHKI as a notable representative among them.”

 

　　Chief Executive John Lee said in his video speech, “We will continue to leverage Hong Kong’s role as a ‘super connector’ and ‘super value-adder’, providing financing services, assistance in establishing international business headquarters, treasury centres, research centres and supply chain centres to the mainland enterprises to join hands in going global.” He added, “Someday, with my sail piercing the clouds; I will mount the wind, break the waves, and traverse the vast, rolling sea. As a vital force in the development of the Greater Bay Area, the business community is a participant and beneficiary of the cooperation of the two places.” He urged Hong Kong companies to fully leverage their international perspective and resource network to “go global” together with mainland companies and connect with the global markets, and further contribute to the country’s high-level opening up.

 

　　Liu Wei, Standing Member of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Nansha District Committee, mentioned, “With the Greater Bay Area development in full swing, Nansha and Hong Kong are entering a golden window of opportunity for cooperation. Looking at the Greater Bay Area, Nansha offers tangible development benefits. We sincerely hope that FHKI and other fellows from the business community in the Greater Bay Area will further play a bridging role, attracting more young innovative teams and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Macao to visit, understand, and choose Nansha.”

 

　　To forge bonds in Guangdong and Hong Kong, FHKI signed 5 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a total of 8 organisations during the exchange banquet to foster cooperations in business and trade, attracting enterprises to Hong Kong, and jointly venturing into the global market. Signatories include (in no particular order): the Management Committee of Guangzhou Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone; "Going Global" Comprehensive Service Center for Chinese Enterprises; Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance; the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited; the Hong Kong Electronic Industries Association; Ernst & Young Transactions Limited; Yingkang Yisheng (Qingdao) Medical Investment Co., Limited; and Kapok Capital Limited.

 

　　The PRD Council has been hosting this distinguished exchange banquet since 2002, drawing a thousand business leaders from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau each year to discuss on deepening high-quality collaboration among the Greater Bay Area, marking this as a profoundly significant occasion. The Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15^th Five‑Year Plan for Economic and Social Development reinforce the importance and key role of Hong Kong's distinctive advantages and vital functions of enjoying the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world. The organisers, therefore, hosted a high-level summit prior to the exchange banquet to discuss three topics: “Strengthening collaboration with the Greater Bay Area, creating the High-Quality Foreign Investment Hub,” “Going global: Bay Area sets sail to jointly explore market opportunities”, and “Guangzhou-Hong Kong Collaboration: Policies Empowering the Development of Enterprises”. Guest speakers were invited to share their insights in attracting enterprises and investments, promoting enterprises between Hong Kong and the Mainland in going global, and the development of related professional services. In addition, an exhibition highlighted new industry and innovative technologies, showcasing the R&D accomplishments of participating institutions.

 

　　Wallace Wong, FHKI Executive Deputy Chairman and PRD Council Chairman, stated, “Hong Kong and Nansha have had many collaborations in recent years. As an important development platform in the Greater Bay Area, Nansha is actively aligning with national development strategies and is developing rapidly, bringing new opportunities for technological innovation and industrial upgrading in the area."

 

　　Hon Sunny Tan, HKPC Chairman, highlighted, “The deep integration of Nansha’s industrial supply chain with Hong Kong’s international scientific research network will powerfully promote the development of new productive forces in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Hong Kong SAR Government is actively cooperating with the national "15th Five-Year Plan" to promote the AI+ initiative. The ‘AI with HKPC’ exhibition showcases how the Agentic AI Automation Platform ‘AIM’ helps enterprises achieve intelligent transformation, while ‘the Cradle – Go Global Service Centre’ provide comprehensive ‘go global’ services, supporting enterprises to seize opportunities and jointly create a new chapter in the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area.”

 

　　Prof Ir Sunny Lee, ASTRI Chairman, stated, "Through cross-border collaboration, technology exchange, and field visits, we strive to explore new frontiers. In the future, ASTRI will continue to work hand in hand with our partners, uphold the spirit of innovation, inject strong momentum into the regional economy, and build a more competitive innovation and technology ecosystem."

 

　　The success of the “GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026” was achieved through the invaluable support from many parties. The organisers express their gratitude to the following parties (in no particular order): the Guangzhou Nansha District; the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong as the forum strategic partner; China CITIC Bank International Limited as the exclusive financial institution sponsor; the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, AI+ strategic partner of the event; the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, the strategic partner for the innovation and technology industry; CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, the exclusive cleaning partner; Llinks Law Offices LLP, legal consultant of the event; and all participating guests and organisations.

 

Pic 1: “GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026” was grandly held in Nansha, with Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang (centre) and Standing Member of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Nansha District Committee Liu Wei (fourth from right) served as officiating guests.

 

Pic 2: Representatives of FHKI, PRD Council, HKPC and ASTRI gave a unique joint speech during the dinner.

 

Pic 3: Standing Member of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Nansha District Committee Liu Wei delivered a speech.

 

Pic 4: C Y Leung, Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the CPPCC delivered a live streaming keynote speech.

 

Pic 5: Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee delivered pre-recorded remarks to support the “GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026”.

 

Pic 6: At the gala dinner, officiating guests and FHKI leadership raised a toast on stage with guests.

 

Pic 7: FHKI signed MoU with "Going Global" Comprehensive Service Center for Chinese Enterprises.

 

Pic 8: FHKI signed MoU with Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited.

 

Pic 9: FHKI signed MoU with Yingkang Yisheng (Qingdao) Medical Investment Co., Limited; and Kapok Capital Limited.

 

Pic 10: FHKI signed MoU with Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance and Ernst & Young Transactions Limited to foster cross-sectoral collaboration.

 

Pic 11: FHKI signed MoU with the Management Committee of Guangzhou Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone; Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance; and Hong Kong Electronic Industries Association.

 

Pic 12: “GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026” hosted over a thousand guests showcasing a remarkable spectacle.

 

 Pic 13: Panel 1 discussed on “Hong Kong Linking with the GBA to Build a Premier Hub for High-Quality Foreign Investment”. Speakers include (from left to right):

 

• (Moderator) FHKI Deputy Chairman Jackie Ng
• Beijing Yunji Technology Co., Ltd. Vice President Xie Yunpeng
• Guangzhou Smartech Automation Co., Ltd. Co-Founder Chen Li
• Director of Overseas Public Affairs of Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd Edwin Wang
• Associate Dean (Health Systems) of Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Justin Che-Yuen Wu
• DimYeah Co., Ltd Founder Jason Choi

Pic 14: The theme of Panel Discussion 2 was “Going global: Bay Area sets sail to jointly explore market opportunities”. Speakers include (from left to right):

 

• (Moderator) FHKI Executive Deputy Chairman and PRD Council Chairman Wallace Wong
• Pony.ai Vice President & Intelligent Logistics General Manager Xing He
• Express LUCK Technology Ltd. Operations Director Morgan Chen
• The Hong Kong Productivity Council Chief Digital Officer & Chief Executive Officer of Mainland Business Edmond Lai
• Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Chief Technology Officer Dr Ying Huang
• EHang Vice President He Tianxing
• iFlytek Greater Bay Area (GBA) Marketing Director Rain Tse

Pic 15: The theme of Panel Discussion 3 was “Guangzhou-Hong Kong Synergy: Policies that Empower Business Growth”. Speakers include (from left to right):

 

• (Moderator) FHKI Group 18 (Hong Kong ProServices Council) Vice-Chairman Dennis Fong
• Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance Chairman and FHKI Honorary President Dr Steve Chuang
• China Citic Bank International Limited Senior Director, Head of GBA Business, Wholesale Banking Group Philip Chong
• "Going Global" Comperhensive Service Center for Chinese Enterprises Assistant Director Richard Zeng
• FHKI Deputy Chairman and Chairman of Q-Mark Council Karen Chan
• Senior Legal Counsel, Overseas Investment, Kenneth Kong

Pic 16: Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and District Chief of Nansha District Yue Yang delivered a speech at the GBA iForum.

 

Pic 17: FHKI Chairman Anthony Lam interviewed by the media.

 

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