SHKP Quarterly

Sam Lai: The Group is all geared up to embrace Greater Bay Area development opportunities 黎祥掀：集團準備就緒 迎接大灣區發展機遇 新鴻基發展（中國）有限公司南中國區總經理 Southern China General Manager Sun Hung Kai Development (China) Limited Sam Lai 黎祥掀 Promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area is one of our country's key strategies. As deeper planning of the Bay Area continues apace, Sam Lai, General Manager of the Group's Southern China region, believes that the economic potential of '9+2' (nine cities in Guangdong Province and two special administrative regions, including Hong Kong) will be fully realized. The Group is set to seize the infinite opportunities given its extensive experience in developing major projects. Seizing opportunities in the Greater Bay Area era The Group began blazing a trail across Southern China as early as the start of the 1980s, participating in the China Hotel joint venture in Guangzhou. The Group then picked up the pace across the region in the early 2000s by developing large-scale commercial and residential projects in major cities such as Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Foshan and Dongguan. In recent years, the Group has been focusing on large integrated developments in the core areas. The opening of both the Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Rail and the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macao Bridge this year, coupled with the expected completion of several major trunk roads across the Greater Bay Area over the next few years, will likely form greater synergies among the Group's projects within the area. According to Sam, 'The "polycentric cities" in the Greater Bay Area have already taken shape – Hong Kong is an international metropolis, Guangzhou is a commercial centre, Shenzhen is a technology hub, Dongguan is a manufacturing base, and Zhongshan is a scenic city with low population density. So each city offers its own unique advantages.' Sam currently oversees the Group's project planning and project management in Southern China, which include the residential project Forest Hills in the Tianhe District, Guangzhou, as well as the IGC shopping mall in the major integrated complex Tianhui Plaza in Zhujiang New Town. Looking forward, he says that the Nansha project is in the preliminary stage, and the Group is also actively contemplating the development of different projects in other regions. This is further evidence that the Group is ideally poised to seize opportunities in the Greater Bay Area era. Set to benefit from its large commercial complexes The Group has developed a host of large urban complexes across Hong Kong and major cities on the mainland, re-defining a new outlook for the region. As for the Southern China region, there are Parc Central and the large-scale integrated complex Tianhui Plaza located at the heart of Guangzhou. Sam points out that amid fierce competition within the mainland residential property market, the Group continues to place great emphasis on ensuring high product quality while striving for construction efficiency. This inevitably makes it more difficult to keep up with other mainland developers in terms of construction speed. He adds, 'The development of major integrated projects though is different. It is a long- term investment. From design and leasing to property management and more, every aspect along the way tests the capacity and endurance of developers, but this is precisely 18 Profile Vol 90 • Q4 2018 • SHKP Quarterly