On 28 November, Li Xiaolan, secretary general of Guangzhou GD-HK-MAC Greater Bay Area Economic & Cultural Promotion Association, shared her thoughts on youth innovation and entrepreneurship at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cooperation and Development Forum of the Asia Youth Leaders Forum 2021.

The full speech is as below.

Dear dignitaries and guests,

Good morning. My name is Li Xiaolan. I am the secretary general of Guangzhou GD-HK-MAC Greater Bay Area Economic & Cultural Promotion Association. During the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of CPPCC Gao Yunlong said youths sought progress just as the time moved forward. Indeed, youths represent the hope of a nation. The Outline Development Plan of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will provide young people with many opportunities to participate in the development and cooperation of the Greater Bay Area. Our association was thus founded in this context in February 2018. In just three years, we have welcomed more than 300 outstanding entrepreneurs and 28 chambers of commerce or associations as our members and have done a lot in terms of cooperation with Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

As early as 2018, we started a GBA leadership program with Sun Yat-sen University to nurture outstanding entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, Macao, and Guangdong. We also established a committee on Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao exchange and cooperation, contributing to building a platform for businesses and governments from the three regions.

There is another good news that we want to share with you. With the guidance of the United Front Department of CPC Guangzhou Committee, Guangzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, and Office of Guangzhou Municipal Leading Group for the Development of the Greater Bay Area, we are working on an entrepreneurship and internship program for Hong Kong and Macao youths. In just five days, we have secured the participation of Guangzhou Intelligent Industry Equipment Group, Guangzhou Restaurant, and renowned state-owned companies in Guangzhou, as well as public companies including Liby Group, Honghai Human Resources Group, iFlytek, and Guangzhou LeafunCulture Science and Technology. We will also announce this news to the public at the launchceremony of this program on 11 December. What we do is also try to influence those influential companies and act our part in helping Hong Kong and Macao youths to start a business. 

Talking about the future, I think within the framework of GBA cooperation and development, there are great prospects for youth innovation and entrepreneurship. I’d like to go about this from four aspects.

Firstly, a variety of support policies means guarantee for youth entrepreneurship on the policy level. It was just mentioned that Nansha hadintroduced many preferential policies for youth entrepreneurship. Likewise, the All-China Youth Federation has recently released eight important measures. Among them is a group of data: the next five years will witness 15,000 new companies for internship, 12,000 new jobs, and at least 120 entrepreneurship programs (or special actions) for young people from Hong Kong and Macao. 

Secondly, within this context, many comprehensive and special platforms can further support youth innovation and entrepreneurship. Our recent actions have also garnered support from all sectors. Just yesterday, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings joined our association and pledged to support programs of youth innovation and entrepreneurship. We also call on more companies, especially renowned companies, to provide Hong Kong and Macao youths with opportunities to innovate and start businesses, helping them contribute to the nation’s development sooner than later.

Thirdly, it is my observation that the science and technology sector and cultural sector offer many options to young people. For instance, we notice that youth entrepreneurship concentrates more in the fields of science and technology as well as culture and creativity. Data shows that entrepreneurship in science and technology accounts for 24.7 percent, and culture and creativity 21.7 percent. This does not mean young people aim high but shoot low by focusing on these two domains. On the contrary, youths’ engaging in these fields spells out stronger creative teams and more distinctive business models. From my observation, many young entrepreneurs are highly-educated and adventurous.

Lastly, in the development of the Greater Bay Area, the financial market is very active, and legal services are improving. I am a lawyer and arbitrator by trade. Since the end of 2020, there has been 20 law firms that boasts legal practitioners from Hong Kong, Macao, and the mainland. These law firms provide diverse legal services for Hong Kong and Macao youths in starting businesses, meeting the demand for such services.

To sum up, young people in the Greater Bay Area shoulder responsibilities and stand ready to take actions. With the support services and policies here, they will become the backbone of Asian youths and go ahead of the curve. Thank you.