Opening up and improving the overall environment 

Zhou suggested that China should open its doors instead of working behind closed doors. 

"Opening up is a critical part in the policy of developing metropolitan areas," he highlighted. 

Zhou proposed the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the Pearl River Delta Region to be a forerunner and a pilot zone of developing the interaction economy. He noted that with abundant and diverse elements of the international marketplace, the Greater Bay Area performed well in goods trade and has laid a good industrial foundation. In comparison, its population, total area, and export value of goods in 2016 were 1.9 times, 4.2 times, and 8.3 times that of the Tokyo Bay Area. 

However, he also mentioned that among the lists of the top 30 Chinese cities, more cities in the Greater Bay Area appeared on the manufacturing list than on the IT list, which is worth paying more attention to. Furthermore, in terms of inbound tourists, the figure for Tokyo is 2.9 times that of Guangzhou. 

On Feb. 18, China issued the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area — a comprehensive guide for current and future cooperative development within the Greater Bay Area, aiming to develop the region into "a role model of high-quality development." 

With the Greater Bay Area looking to become a megalopolis with several metropolitan areas in the future, Zhou suggested the Greater Bay Area strengthen its urban functions, upgrade its industries, and improve its overall business environment and public services, especially education, medical care, financial services, and technological innovation, through strengthening the coordination of different places within the area and the interaction of the area with the outside world. 

"We should pay attention to 'hard' data such as GDP as well as 'soft' data such as the satisfaction of eating out," he said. Zhou explained that catering service is not merely about eating, but ensuring that there are enjoyable dining experiences with healthy food, a pleasant environment, and benefits from interaction during the meal. 

"We should realize the benefits of opening up. We should take the initiative and ride the wave of interaction economy," Zhou iterated. Using a metaphor of a nacre, a shell producing pearls, Zhou said that as long as the overall environment gets improved, people will be naturally attracted here, and even with a couple of grains of sand, it will become a pearl. 

Now, China has set its course and is on the move. According to the NDRC's guidelines, notable progress should be made by 2022 with improvements on infrastructure integration, freer markets, more coordinated industries, and more livable environments. Moreover, support will be given to develop sectors such as industrial design, cultural and creative products, and financial services to establish an industrial mix with modern services as the main pillar.

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