GBA iForum cum Dinner 2026 held in Nansha to boost Hong Kong-Guangdong innovation cooperation

The iGBA iForum cum Dinner 2026, themed “Leveraging Hong Kong’s International Strengths to Enhance Bay Area Connectivity,” took place in Nansha, gathering nearly 1,000 leaders from government, industry, academia and investment sectors in Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivered a video message, while CPPCC Vice Chairman Leung Chun-ying gave a keynote speech via live stream. Guangzhou Nansha Party Secretary Liu Wei and Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang officiated as guests of honor. Nansha District Mayor Yue Yang and Innovation and Technology Bureau Permanent Secretary Choi Kit-ming delivered speeches.

Forum topics included “Hong Kong Linking the Bay Area to Build a High-Quality Foreign Investment Hub,” “Jointly Going Global: Bay Area Opportunities for Market Expansion” and “Guangzhou-Hong Kong Synergy: Policy Support for Hong Kong Enterprises.”

Eight MOUs were signed at the dinner to promote trade, settlement in Hong Kong and outbound expansion, involving Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone, China Enterprise “Going Global” Service Center, Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance, Cyberport, Hong Kong Electronic Industries Association, Ernst & Young, Qingdao Yingkang Medical Investment Co., Ltd and Kapok Capital.

Organisers Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Pearl River Delta Council, HKPC and ASTRI highlighted complementary advantages between Hong Kong and Nansha, strong progress in the “Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou” innovation cluster, and support for national “15th Five-Year Plan” goals through AI, new productive forces and outbound services.

The event, known as the “Thousand-Person Banquet,” marks its annual significance since 2002 in fostering high-quality Greater Bay Area cooperation.