‘Unrivaled resources’ to take SAR forward: HK deputy
The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will help Hong Kong further transform its economy into one that’s high value-added, with “unprecedented” resources from the central government, says a Hong Kong deputy to the nation’s top legislature.
Raymond Tam Chi-yuen — a National People’s Congress deputy and former secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs — cited innovation and technology development as an example, noting that the central government has done a lot, such as providing funds and introducing favorable policies, to support Hong Kong in turning the city into an international I&T center in the region.
This is a new direction for Hong Kong — an established global hub for trade, aviation and financial services — he told China Daily. “Hong Kong must head this way to further diversify its economic structure.”
Tam, who is in Beijing for the annual two sessions, was referring to the central government’s recent policies to establish research branches of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the Hong Kong Science Park, and allow Hong Kong universities and research institutes to apply national and Guangdong provincial funds.
The Bay Area’s 11-city cluster, which also includes the two special administrative regions, aims to become a world-class city group, as well as an innovation and technology hub that provides quality life to a population of more than 70 million. More than 200 specific policies have been laid down in the blueprint to achieve that goal, Tam noted.
Tam, who served as Hong Kong’s constitutional and mainland affairs chief for about six years, believed that realizing the Bay Area’s goal and policies calls for a clear division of work among the governments of Guangdong, and the Hong Kong and Macao SARs.
The policies, covering various sectors from technology to entrepreneurship, should be assigned to corresponding departments of the central, provincial and municipal governments involved to facilitate their smooth implementation, he said.
Tam, noting the intuitional differences between mainland and Hong Kong under “one country, two systems”, believed that smooth liaison between the SAR and relevant authorities on the mainland will guarantee that the policies are successfully implemented.
He also stressed the importance of reflecting the reality and views of Hong Kong people. In fact, the central government has been proactively helping Hong Kong to find ways to make it easier for the city to cooperate with the mainland.
Tam also referred to the central government’s recent practice to let the HKSAR government announce new policies relating to Hong Kong. This, he said, reduces the risks of any misunderstanding when introducing the policies to the Hong Kong community, he said.