Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) regional economic integration is poised to gather steam with the opening of yesterday's PPRD Regional Co-operation and Development Forum in Hong Kong.

The gala forum, attended by high-profile mainland, Hong Kong and Macao officials, signals both the central government's endorsement of the integration plan and regions' determination to work for the common good of the entire area.

PPRD integration has until now been basically a conceptual blueprint.

However, the confidence of the central government and regional leaders is not based on a mere wishful concept.

It comes from the substantial prospects of the PPRD economies, which will share resources and grow stronger as the integration bears fruit.

For those regions involved, further strengthening the links and mapping out technical steps for implementation is expected to help lay down a solid foundation for turning the concept into reality.

PPRD officials from the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan and Hainan and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, plus Hong Kong and Macau - the so-called 9-2 - need to discuss co-operation in such sectors as infrastructure, logistics, tourism, agriculture, investment and technology. Their rich and diverse local resources will help make the integration a win-win situation all around for regional economic development.

Hong Kong, an international financial hub, boasts high-calibre professionals, specialized services and abundant tourism and information resources.

Macau, although a small market, boasts a free flow of capital and low business costs.

The mainland provinces are endowed with geographical, labour, land, energy and natural resource advantages. The more than two decades of reform and opening up have brought extensive development to all these regions. A more advanced transport network, which is being planned, will further aid economic exchanges between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau.

The linkage will help expand the business scope for Hong Kong and Macau.

Take Macau. It is vulnerable to fluctuations in the economies of its neighbours. By engaging in regional co-operation, it will enjoy a wider range of market and resource opportunities.

For coastal mainland provinces, which are already facing problems of limited space and rising costs after two decades of high-speed development, the scheme will allow them to shift some of their economy further into inland regions, which are thirsting for advanced capital and management expertise.

The 9-2 region has a population of about 460 million and a gross domestic product of about 5 trillion yuan (US$604 billion).

A win-win situation, indeed.

Editor: Wings