The Guangdong Provincial Government officially released the “Three-Year Action Plan for the Construction of the ‘Digital Greater Bay Area'” on November 21st on its website.
The plan proposes, in accordance with the principle of user authorization, to focus on breaking down barriers in government service chains and data sharing among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. It aims to promote unified identity authentication and mutual recognition of electronic signatures for residents of the three regions, enabling cross-border handling of high-frequency matters for both enterprises and residents.
Unified identity authentication for residents of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao means aligning the “Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents,” commonly known as the “Home Return Permit,” with the “Mainland Resident Identity Card.” In the future, it is expected that a single document will suffice for border crossing.