A proposal by Hong Kong to allow Shenzhen's 2 million permanent residents to freely make multiple visits to the city is part of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's vision for a cosmopolitan economy with up to 10 million people.
A government source said yesterday that Hong Kong had 'reflected' the idea to the central government but it would be up to Beijing whether it went ahead, and it could take a long time to put into effect.
The move, which would further integrate the two cities and make it easier to tap cross-border talent, has come to light after an interview by Mr Tsang with the Financial Times, in which he said the city should increase its population by 40 per cent to 10 million to compete with New York and London as a global financial centre.
Government thinking is that Hong Kong's competitiveness hinges on a critical mass of quality human capital, and technologically advanced Shenzhen would be a good city to pair up with.
The scheme would free Shenzhen residents from the need to apply to visit Hong Kong under the individual travel scheme and allow them more or less to come and go as they pleased, as Hongkongers now are allowed to in Shenzhen.
They would either use their electronic identity cards or be issued with a special pass. It would be a breakthrough in travel between the mainland and Hong Kong, still subject to colonial-era restrictions 10 years after the handover.
Shenzhen residents entering in this way would not immediately be allowed to work in Hong Kong. But the government source said making visits easier could encourage talented people to apply to work in the city under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals or the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.