Permit plan will boost the Bay Area’s growth

Extending benefits to HRP holders would further stimulate Hong Kong’s integration with mainland, Wong Kwok writes

The State Council Information Office held a press conference on Aug 16 to announce the Regulations for Application of Residence Permit for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Residents, which will take effect on Sept 1. The residence permit, which will fundamentally address several issues encountered by residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in the areas of online ticketing service, selfservice ticket collection, hotel accommodation and financial services, represents a crucial step toward the integration of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

With reference to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions proposed 20 suggestions during the annual sessions of National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee which will benefit Hong Kong residents in four major areas.

Prior to the introduction of the residence permit, the State Council had responded favorably to several proposals put forward by the HKFTU, including rescinding the work permit requirement for Hong Kong residents seeking mainland employment, the withdrawal of the temporary residence permit as a precondition for obtaining a mainland driving license, and other benefits. The introduction of the residence permit is a further step toward providing a “green channel” for Hong Kong residents to live in the Bay Area and throughout the country.

The launch of the residence permit means the rights of Hong Kong residents residing on the mainland will be legally and administratively protected, including “three categories of rights, six basic public services and nine facilitation measures”. This will lay a solid foundation for facilitating reciprocity among cities and the integration of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao into the Bay Area, strengthening national identity, as well as achieving a breakthrough in granting national welfare to Hong Kong residents.

For many years, I have heard colleagues in our Mainland Consultation Services Centres comment on the difficulties encountered by many Hong Kong residents living on the mainland. I experienced many inconveniences while traveling there.

In terms of travel and accommodation, apart from the difficulty in purchasing high-speed rail tickets, some mainland hotels can’t serve residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. This has resulted in different treatment for Hong Kong and mainland residents. In terms of working on the mainland, it is difficult for Hong Kong residents to join the most essential Housing Provident Fund. Meanwhile, obtaining the “five social insurances and one housing fund” is also a formidable task. Hong Kong residents, therefore, cannot enjoy the social welfare available on the mainland. In terms of education, children of Hong Kong residents can not participate in the nineyear compulsory education enjoyed by mainland residents. In terms of financial services, Hong Kong and Macao residents must endure a complicated and cumbersome process to apply for mobile payment, which has become a leading trend on the mainland.

The residence permit will bridge the gap in living conditions between Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents living on the mainland and their mainland counterparts. The identification number printed on the residence permit is a standardized code readable by other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the mainland, which will clear the procedural obstacles in the aforementioned areas. It will become easier and more convenient for Hong Kong residents to live in the Bay Area.

On one occasion, some of my colleagues jokingly said they envied the “portable convenience” brought about by my mobile phone wherever I go. However, what I want to add is the fact that Hong Kong residents will now be able to enjoy all sorts of new experiences on the mainland which they could previously only witness and hear about.

The residence permit scheme is of course only the first step to incorporate the lives of Hong Kong residents into the Bay Area. It will offer convenience to more than 500,000 Hong Kong residents residing on the mainland. If, however, some of the benefits can be extended to Home Return Permit (HRP) holders in the future, such as the simplification of HRP-related operations on the mainland, provision of convenient transportation, booking arrangements of travel tickets, etc., it will then fully cover the living and transportation needs of Hong Kong residents residing on the mainland. This will be the best outcome for the Bay Area development, which will further integrate Hong Kong into the overall national development framework and allow us to get a fair share of the achievements of our country.

The residence permit will bridge the gap in living conditions between Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents living on the mainland and their mainland counterparts .... It will become easier and more convenient for Hong Kong residents to live in the Bay Area.