GUANGDONG Province's close connections with Hong Kong and Macaomade it a national role model during China's economic reform and opening in the 1980s. More recently, in order to consolidate the three localities' overall strength and competitive power the province proposed and set in motion the Greater Pearl River Delta plan. In 2004 a broader regional cooperation and development strategy encompassing all of southern China- the Pan-Pearl RiverDelta (PPRD) - began implementation.