Lantau Tomorrow Vision must be more than just another ‘gateway’
On May 15, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced a new policy from the central government that comes as a boon to the technology and creative industries in Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s universities and certain research institutes can now apply for State funding through the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance to undertake science and technology projects in the city. She said it was a major breakthrough in cross-boundary collaboration that the approved funding could be directly remitted to Hong Kong.
18 years ago, Woo Chia-wei, who was the first president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and was then a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, put forward the concept of “Hong KongShenzhen Bay Area” together with the development of innovative technologies. Eighteen years later, he said in retrospect that the then South China regional economy had yet to be developed; Hong Kong enjoyed an absolute advantage in economic strength and was well-positioned to be the leader of the proposed bay area. Unfortunately, we did not have any interest in taking on this role at any given point of time even after Hong Kong’s return to China. Taking issue with the SAR government clinging to the status of “gateway to China” which was first advocated by the British colonial government, Woo questioned that while Hong Kong was apparently the doorway to China for Britain, there is no need for a “gate” among our own people. To date, it is a worrying sign to see that cross-boundary collaboration is being understated, whereas the concept of “gateway to China for the international community” continues to be overstated.
The concept of “gateway” is comparable to the role of “broker” in economic activities. Hong Kong, which has inherited the market economy system from the West and is familiar with Western countries, indeed previously acted as the “gateway” between the West and the Chinese mainland when the mainland kicked off the process of reform and opening-up, allowing the West to access the mainland and for the mainland to draw lessons from its market economy system. However, after President Xi Jinping initiated the Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of building a community with shared future for mankind, the nation has in effect implemented a policy of all-round opening-up. Moreover, the participating countries of the BRI are essentially non-Western developing countries. Therefore, Hong Kong has to reposition itself; we must shift from being the “gateway to China” to an active participant of the BRI. Furthermore, we should join hands with compatriots on the mainland to promote the creation of a community with shared future for mankind.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s participation in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is about integrating the city’s development into the national development strategy. That is why a major breakthrough has been achieved when the national research fund can be applied across the boundary.
Lam puts forward the “Lantau Tomorrow Vision” in her 2018 Policy Address. Highlighting the importance of Lantau Island, she explained: “Lantau, the largest outlying island in Hong Kong, is home to the Hong Kong International Airport and the gateway to the world. Upon the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the transport connectivity between Hong Kong and other cities in the Bay Area will be further improved, making Lantau a ‘Double Gateway’ to the world and other Bay Area cities.”
Positioning Lantau from a transportation perspective is certainly a correct move. But I hope that the SAR government will not only give full play to the city’s role as a transport hub, but also pay more attention to advancing Hong Kong’s integration into the overall development of the country. The first step will be integrating our city into the Bay Area, and actively participating in the BRI at the same time.
Having read through the 60,000-word 2018 Policy Address, I cannot figure out how Lantau Tomorrow Vision can be linked to integrating our city into the overall development of the country.
Infrastructural facilities form the backbone of Lantau Tomorrow Vision; we will see the construction of artificial islands with a total area of about 1,700 hectares near Kau Yi Chau and Hei Ling Chau. A new major transport corridor will also be built to link the coastal areas of Tuen Mun, North Lantau, the proposed artificial islands and the traditional business center in Hong Kong Island North with roads and railways, and forward works will be taken for a highway parallel to the North Lantau Highway and the Lung Mun Road improvement.
The project will focus on developing public housing in a new town. The land created by reclamation could accommodate 260,000 to 400,000 residential units. These units, with 70 percent being public housing, could accommodate a population of 700,000 to 1.1 million. It will also create the city’s third core business district, which could help strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international business center.
The SAR government will still need to explain how this vision of 20 to 30 years can be linked to Hong Kong’s integration into the Bay Area.