Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Cooperation under ‘One Country, Two Systems’ Comparison with European Union and San Francisco Bay Area

Since the concept of ‘Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area’ was formally proposed in 2015, the cooperation of the Greater Bay Area has become a hot topic in academic circles. However, in-depth discussion on the positioning and development direction of the Greater Bay Area cooperation under the context of ‘one country, two systems’ remains lacking. This paper compared the Greater Bay Area with the European Union and the San Francisco Bay Area from the governance system, governance mechanism and political mutual trust. The cooperation and development of the Greater Bay Area has encountered a series of challenges: the tension between the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong and Macao and the integrated planning of the Greater Bay Area, the balance between the central promotion and local endogenous impetus and lack of political mutual trust. Under the ‘one country, two systems’, the future cooperation and development of the Greater Bay Area will not only challenge the governments’ governance capacity but also the wisdom of the business community and civil society, which is worthy of further in-depth exploration.