The 10th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum (PPRD Forum) and Trade Fair, co-organised by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, will be held in Guangzhou from 12 to 13 October. Activities include the opening ceremony of the PPRD Forum, an exhibition of achievements on the 10th anniversary of the high level Forum, a joint conference of chief executives, senior management meetings, and project presentations and promotions by individual PPRD provinces and regions. Macao is responsible for organising the 10th PPRD Forum. The PPRD Forum is in two phases: the pre-event activities, and the forum itself. As part of the pre-event activities, the Panel Discussion on the Economic Environment of Portuguese-speaking Countries and the Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Tourism Cooperation Consultation Meeting were held in Macao last May and June, respectively. The first PPRD Forum was held in Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao during 1 to 3 June 2004, respectively. Since then, the meetings were held in other provinces and areas such as, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hainan, Guizhou, in turns, signifying the completion of the first round of Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation. Looking ahead to a new round of co-operation, the governments of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong SAR and the Macao SAR have again co-organised the PPRD Forum and related actitivites, further enhancing and strengthening the interdependence and co-operative relationship between the three regions in the long run. In the previous year, the MSAR Government continued to deepen co-operation with the PPRD in tourism, environmental protection, culture and education, healthcare, food safety, infrastructure co-ordination, public services and contingency responses. In the past decade, with the progress of PPRD co-operation, the region as a whole maintained a co-ordinated and sustainable development momentum. With the aim of developing into a world tourism and leisure centre and a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao will spare no effort in promoting adequate economic diversification. The overall development strategy leverages the various strengths and concerted development of the PPRD. In the past 10 years' co-operation and development of PPRD, the pro-active participation and collaboration between all parties has led to a strengthened co-operation mechanism, improved infrastructure construction and closer co-operation in commercial and trade industries, establishing a united and open market environment. Meanwhile, the co-operation in social undertakings has deepened, ecological construction was enhanced and contingency response mechanisms were perfected, leading to closer links between Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland. Apart from PPRD co-operation, Macao has strived to expand the co-operation relationship with other regions of the PPRD in trade and commerce, tourism, and nature and environmental protection, focusing on improving people's livelihoods. In drought seasons, for instance, as the Pearl River and its branches experience saltwater intrusion, supplies of water for daily consumption in Macao and nearby PPRD cities are severely threatened. To counter these threats, through the PPRD co-operation mechanism, Guizhou and other provinces are required to work on annual projects to minimise saltwater intrusion and supplement freshwater, to ensure the safety of water supplies in the PPRD region. This exactly exemplifies the livelihood focus of PPRD co-operation. The 10-year PPRD co-operation has tightened commercial and trade co-operation, and cultural and personnel exchanges between different regions. It has pro-actively explored and made solid contributions to breaking regional administrative barriers, expanding to new regional co-operation, promoting national market formation and concerted development of the regional economy and society. The co-operation also motivates the participating regions to achieve sustainable and healthy development. Looking ahead to a new round of co-operation, the MSAR Government, as usual, emphasises and proactively participates in PPRD co-operation. As co-operation continues to be practically deepened, the entire region can realise sustainable development and provide more room and opportunities for development. The PPRD co-operation can certainly achieve a higher level of fruitful results, with a broader domain and wider scope. The Pan-Pearl River Delta Region consists of nine provinces and two regions ("9+2"), namely, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. The PPRD economic co-operation covers an area of about 1.92 million square kilometers, with a approximate populations of 400 million. The PPRD co-operation provides a platform for these provinces and regions to better foster regional co-operation and strengthen overall competitiveness.
