To grasp the development opportunities brought about by the GBA, the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are dedicated to formulating GBA Standards of various products and services for relevant trades to adopt on a voluntary basis, with a view to improving product and service quality, promoting the interconnectivity and integrated development of the three places.
The first batch of 110 GBA Standards was promulgated on 24 April 2023. So far, a total of 244 GBA Standards have been developed and promulgated, covering items in a number of fields, including food quality and safety, Cantonese cuisine, prepared dishes, transportation, mechanical and electrical products, as well as medical care, nursing care, education, e-sports, and "environmental, social and governance", etc..
The trades are welcome to actively participate in the formulation and use of GBA Standards in accordance with market situation and needs, with a view to helping promote their products and services in the GBA.
Under the cooperation mechanism of the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the Standardization Research Center for the GBA (GBA Standardization Research Center) is responsible for the research, publication and maintenance of GBA Standards and other supporting work. Information about GBA Standards is available on the GBA Standard Information Public Service Platform managed by the GBA Standardization Research Center. The Trade and Industry Department also promulgates information about GBA Standards to the trades through issuing Commercial Information Circulars.
The GBA Standardization Research Center accepts applications for formulating GBA Standards all year round. Trade associations, enterprises or organisations of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are welcome to jointly draw up GBA Standards in accordance with the specific requirements set out in the "Guidelines on Applications for GBA Standards"(in Chinese only), and submit applications to the GBA Standardization Research Center.
The GBA Standardization Research Center promulgated on 9 April 2025 the "Guidelines on the Common Needs of GBA Standards in 2025" (in Chinese only), which set out the priority sectors for formulating GBA Standards. Applications by the trades for formulating GBA Standards in the priority sectors or other sectors are welcome.
With funding support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the Hong Kong Printers Association promotes the application of a printing colour control method named “Colour Tone Value”, including the formulation of a standard, through the Advanced Printing Technology Centre. For details, please refer to the “Colour Tone Value” webpage. The standard (“Requirements for Calculation and Application of Colour Tone Value (CTV) in Print Workflow”) was included in the list of GBA Standards on 22 May 2025. It would help the industry enhance printing quality, and promote the development of the printing industry in the GBA.
The GBA Standardization Research Center promulgated on 21 May 2025 “Selected Examples of Application of GBA Standards” (in Chinese only), which introduces examples of application of GBA Standards and relevant deliverables. On the same day, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) held a press conference in Guangzhou to introduce the work on GBA Standards. For details, please refer to SAMR webpage (in Chinese only).
The Development Bureau is collaborating with relevant government agencies of Guangdong Province and Macao to create GBA Standards on the skill level for skilled workers in the construction sector, and will work on the "One Examination, Multiple Certification" arrangement. Standards for the first two pilot trades (i.e. painters and bricklayers) were promulgated on 28 March 2025. For details, please refer to the webpage (in Chinese only) of the Hong Kong Institute of Construction. In addition, the Building Technology Research Institute, established by the Development Bureau in August 2024, will liaise with relevant agencies in Guangdong Province to take forward the formulation of the GBA Construction Standards.
The Hong Kong Council of Social Service and the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong signed, on 21 November 2024, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation to promote the formulation of GBA Care Food Standards, which will create business opportunities of the silver economy. For details, please refer to the Care Food webpage (in Chinese only).
The Health Bureau and relevant government agencies of Guangdong Province and Macao are promoting the formulation of GBA Chinese Medicine Standards. On 29 October 2024, the GBA Chinese Medicine Standards Expert Committee announced the first batch of seven recommended GBA Chinese Medicine Standards, which were developed by the Expert Committee and recognised by the drug regulatory authorities of the three places, and recommended the Chinese medicine sector to widely use the standards. For details, please refer to the relevant announcement (in Chinese only).