Plan consolidates the SAR’s role and autonomy in Bay Area development

Strongly dismissing opposition to the visionary blueprint, Xiao Ping says it will actually enhance HK’s ‘one country, two systems’ principle while promoting its social and economic development.

Hong Kong now has an opportunity to break free from its growth bottleneck. This is why the Bay Area can be seen as a plan tailor-made by the central government for Hong Kong and Macao to sustain their economic development ... What prompted those naysayers to cry foul with their “kidnap” analogy is actually a refusal to accept “one country”. By insisting on distinguishing between “two systems” they are opposing economic integration with the mainland and coordinated development.

The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area announced by the central government on Monday has officially made Hong Kong a part of the country’s regional development strategy for the first time. According to the plan, Hong Kong’s position in Bay Area development is to be the leading financial center and an innovation and technology hub. In Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s words, Hong Kong will serve as “Silicon Valley plus Wall Street” — meaning it will play a leading role in Bay Area development. This is another great opportunity for Hong Kong to make a historic achievement in socio-economic development since the nation’s reform and opening-up began 40 years ago.

While Hong Kong society celebrates the arrival of the Outline Development Plan, political figures with ulterior motives cannot but help make some unfounded accusations against it. They went so far as to claim that Hong Kong has been “kidnapped” by the central government and the outline development plan has “blurred the distinction between ‘two systems’”. They also vowed to “maintain” the difference between “two systems”, or Hong Kong would be reduced to just another Chinese city like those on the Chinese mainland. Apparently those people are trying to obstruct Hong Kong’s development with “maintaining ‘two systems’” as an excuse.

Did the outline development plan harm Hong Kong? Of course not! The Basic Law stipulates clearly Hong Kong will maintain its capitalist system and lifestyle after China has resumed the exercise of sovereignty over it, with “Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy. In the outline development plan these provisions not only remain unchanged but will also be enhanced by the complementary relationship among the nine cities in Guangdong and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, of which everyone will play a role suited to its unique strengths in pursuing the common goal of becoming a well-coordinated and robust regional economy. Such cooperation complies with business principles and facilitates sensible distribution of resources, thereby providing all participating parties with room for a level of development they have never seen before.

The “kidnap” analogy is what has truly blurred a distinction, not between “two systems” but between social system and economic development. Reform and opening-up on the Chinese mainland allowed Hong Kong to relocate its manufacturing industry to Guangdong and further north and successfully transform itself into a financial services center and trade hub. Before long it became an “Asian tiger” and never looked back. Today, however, its development is increasingly hindered by limited space, high population density and under-diversified industrial structure. It is badly in need of significantly greater room for economic growth and the Bay Area city cluster could not have come at a better time.

Hong Kong now has an opportunity to break free from its growth bottleneck. This is why the Bay Area can be seen as a plan tailor-made by the central government for Hong Kong and Macao to sustain their economic development. In his work report at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated the commitment to the “one country, two systems” principle and encouraged Hong Kong and Macao to integrate their own development into the country’s overall development strategy, in a well-defined example of striking a complementary balance between social system and economic development through dialectical thinking.

Frankly, what prompted those naysayers to cry foul with their “kidnap” analogy is actually a refusal to accept “one country”. By insisting on distinguishing between “two systems” they are opposing economic integration with the mainland and coordinated development. In the era of globalization the mainland is taking bigger strides in further reform and openingup than ever before. It’s a shame that some people would rather have Hong Kong isolated and marginalized in the name of keeping “two systems” separate - rather than moving ahead with the times.

The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.