Commentary by Tu Haiming*
The “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” (GBA) was released six years ago, but the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been relatively slow in advancing the project. Now, Hong Kong needs to take more proactive measures to contribute to the GBA’s development.
The development of Hong Kong and Macao SARs is intrinsically linked to the national goal of building a stronger Chinese nation. It is crucial for more Hong Kong residents to realize that the GBA is not just a strategic project for national development; it gives Hong Kong a golden opportunity to boost its growth. Only by leveraging opportunities within the Greater Bay Area and connecting the mainland market, can Hong Kong transform into a “super value creator” and sustain growth.
Since the GBA is a shared home for Guangdong province, and the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, every member of Hong Kong society should see itself as a contributor to the GBA’s growth.
The visit of Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, to Hong Kong after the Spring Festival holiday set a good example for Hong Kong. As the progress of the GBA’s development has been slow, there is a need to urgently take measures to push the initiative forward. Xia’s visit to the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone underscored the sharp contrast in progress between the two sides, as evidenced by the many skyscrapers in Shenzhen’s zone juxtaposed against the undeveloped areas in its Hong Kong counterpart.
There was a time when Shenzhen used to learn from Hong Kong. Today, it has left Hong Kong far behind when it comes to fast-paced and efficient development. Looking at the tremendous changes across the mainland, the difference between the two cities becomes even more striking.
Hong Kong should urgently catch up with the mainland’s reform and development pace, and address each issue head-on to move forward.
Xia has urged Hong Kong to promote innovation to remove the hurdles to development, and engage with development zones such as Hengqin, Qianhai and Hetao, seize the opportunities created by the new round of industrial and technological revolution, and explore new development paths to boost development and strengthen connectivity with the mainland.
For example, it should align its rules with those of the mainland and integrate with the GBA. But, as some say, won’t the “one country, two systems” principle be undermined if Hong Kong were to align its rules and social and economic systems with those of the mainland? This is a misinterpretation of the SAR’s relationship with the motherland.
As capitalism has evolved over time, Hong Kong’s system needs to keep pace with the evolution. More important, the GBA’s reform is aimed at boosting development, not undermining “one country, two systems”. The principle should be to pursue the best solutions to problems no matter where they come from.
The GBA’s success depends on enhanced cooperation, especially between Guangdong and Hong Kong. Under the central government’s leadership, Hengqin, a 106-square-kilometer island near Macao poised to become a free trade zone, is the innovation platform of Macao, while Qianhai, an area in Shenzhen with very high growth potential, and Hetao, a cooperation zone between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, can help boost Hong Kong’s development.
Since cooperation is a multi-directional process, Hong Kong, with the strong support of the central government and Guangdong, has to play a bigger role in the development of the Greater Bay Area.
*The author is a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.
The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.
