Newcastle University Center for Urban and Regional Research External Seminar series: South China's Greater Bay Area Strategy

In 2019, the Chinese government launched a national strategy for developing the Pearl River Delta region under the heading of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). This lecture asks whether the GBA initiative represents a regional development turn or merely provides a new heading for existing policies. When the strategies of political bodies, corporations, and research organizations refer to the formation of the GBA, does this reflect an actual spatial reorientation or simply attempts to keep up with politically correct lingo? Four decades ago, South China became an area of policy experimentation that ultimately served as a model for the rest of China to follow. By way of conclusion, we reflect on the implications of the GBA strategy for the Pearl River Delta future role as a national development pioneer.