Five years on: What has the Hengqin-Macao Cooperation Zone achieved?

"I leave the door at around 8:30 a.m. and arrive at my office before 9 a.m.," said Su Bojing, who works at a university in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and commutes from Hengqin.

Su commutes between Macao and Hengqin Island on workdays. Her daily journey has been streamlined by fast clearance procedures at the Hengqin port, where procedural checks can be completed in under two minutes. Just several years ago, it could take an hour and a half to complete the same border clearance procedures.

The convenience that Su and many people like her now enjoy is the fruit of China's push to promote interconnection between Hengqin and Macao in recent years.

Five years ago, the Chinese government introduced the General Plan for Construction of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (the General Plan), which officially established a coordinated development arrangement between Hengqin and Macao.

Located in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Hengqin is separated from Macao by a river and connected by a bridge. At its closest point, the island is less than 200 meters from Macao, making it a ready solution to some of the most pressing bottlenecks Macao was facing at the time.

Hengqin, a physical extension of Macao

One of the problems was the lack of space.

To this day, Macao remains one of the most densely populated regions globally. With more than 680,000 residents living across roughly 33 square kilometers, its population density is the equivalent of fitting a population bigger than that of Miami into half of Manhattan.

Space limits hence became a restraint, potentially stalling Macao's economic growth and driving up local housing prices.

Three times larger than Macao and immediately adjacent, Hengqin provides room to expand the territory's living and working space.

Su, who moved from Fai Chi Kei, a northwestern residential area in Macao, to the Macao New Neighborhood (MNN) in Hengqin, is an example of the people who are taking advantage of the geographical resource of Hengqin, which proffers more affordable housing and a lower cost of living, without compromising convenience. 

As the first large-scale integrated livelihood project built for Macao residents, MNN has become a new home for many. Data published by the Macao SAR government show that more than 4,000 people have moved into the residential complex since sales began in November 2023, and more than 30,000 Macao residents were living, working or studying in the Cooperation Zone as of February 2026.

In line with the General Plan, Macao has rolled out a range of complementary public facilities and policies to foster the community. In terms of public facilities, MNN is equipped with schools, a health station modeled on Macao's health centers and primary care system, and a senior service center offering a range of care services for older people.

But space alone is not what makes Hengqin attractive. The Cooperation Zone also introduced integration policies that connect the lives of people from both sides. For example, children of Macao residents who live and work in the Cooperation Zone are entitled to the same access to public schools as other local students, and the scope of Macao's healthcare vouchers has also been extended to the Cooperation Zone.

Diversifying Macao's economy

Another problem Macao faces is the pressing need to diversify its economy.

Since the legalization of the gaming industry in the mid-19th century, Macao's economy has gradually leaned towards this single crutch.

Richard Weixing Hu, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Macau, said the SAR's economy relies heavily on gaming as well as related commercial and tourism activities, making its economic structure relatively fragile.

Diversifying its economic structure thus became an urgent need. In 2023, the SAR government issued a more detailed document identifying four emerging industries, including scientific research and high-end manufacturing; Macao-branded industries such as traditional Chinese medicine, cultural tourism and exhibition and trade; and modern finance, as four major areas of potential development. 

By pooling resources such as highly skilled talent, government funding, business opportunities, research facilities and the well-rounded industrial capacity of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Cooperation Zone has made significant progress in advancing this goal. 

According to data published by local authorities, the four emerging industries already account for 67.1% of the Cooperation Zone's GDP, exceeding the approximately 65% target set for 2029.

More businesses in Macao have also demonstrated interest in expanding their operations in the Cooperation Zone. By June 2026, there are already more than 8,000 Macao-funded enterprises operating in Hengqin, a 72.6% increase since the establishment of the Cooperation Zone in 2021, according to the local commercial services bureau.

Five years after the release of the plan, the Cooperation Zone has become a springboard for Macao's economy, with greater potential ahead.

In August, the Macao SAR government released the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Macao SAR (2026-2030), which again emphasizes the call for the development of Macao and the integration of the region into the overall development of the country. 

Built on the General Plan introduced five years ago, the third five-year plan further enriches the practice of the "One Country, Two Systems" framework and serves the government's aim to construct a more integrated Greater Bay Area that invigorates the regional economy.

As Macao embarks on its next five years of development, Sam Hou Fai, the chief executive of the Macao SAR, said that the development of the Cooperation Zone is of great significance to Macao's economic diversification. He emphasized that it is not merely a geographical extension but a crucial driver for Macao's economic transformation and upgrade, as well as a key element in breaking through development bottlenecks.