China will ramp up efforts to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a world-class bay area and forge an exemplary model of high-quality development, an official with the country's top economic regulator said on Monday.

Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference that was held in Beijing that China had made considerable progress in the construction of the GBA during the past five years in terms of building key cooperation platforms, the construction of a sci-tech innovation center, building a modern industrial system and boosting connectivity.

In the next step, the country will focus on boosting technological innovation, boosting coordinated industrial development, and improving people's livelihoods for the development of the GBA.

Zhao said the country would fully support Hong Kong and Macao in participating in GBA construction, creating broader development space and injecting impetus into their development.

When it comes to China's coordinated regional development, he said China is committed to implementing the major regional strategies, including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of the Yangtze Economic Belt, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the construction of GBA.

So far, Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province has completed a total investment of more than 400 billion yuan ($55.5 billion) since China announced plans to establish Xiong'an New Area in 2017.

Zhao noted that the regional development gap within China had narrowed notably during the past decade.

According to him, China's central and western regions accounted for 22 percent and 21.1 percent of the country's GDP in 2021, respectively, up from 21.3 percent and 19.6 percent in 2012.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. (Photo/ Xinhua)