Boarding the swiftest through train ever
This week I'd like to talk more about the summary reform and development plan for the Greater Pearl River Region that I discussed in my last column. By 2015, according to the plan, Hong Kong will be plugged in to a regional and national high-speed railway system with 300km/h trains departing every five minutes - like the MTR trains today. Life as we know it will be forever transformed.
Imagine having breakfast at West Kowloon MTR station, then waiting no more than a few minutes before hopping on a train that will reach Shenzhen in about 15 minutes or Guangzhou in less than an hour. Those travelling beyond the provincial capital will be able to board inter-city trains departing every 30 minutes, reaching Changsha in time for lunch and Beijing or Shanghai for dinner.
Such convenient travel will no longer be the monopoly of the super-rich, but affordable for just about everybody.
This new and much improved connectivity - to be made possible by a dense network of inter-city high-speed trains, suburban subways and light-rail networks - will be mind-boggling.
If you want a taste of things to come, visit Japan and try its famed rail system. It is estimated that more than 80 per cent of all travel within that country is via the rail system, and city life tends to centre around stations. A less-extensive version of this is now unfolding in Taiwan, gradually replacing short-haul air travel within the island.
By that time, car owners will be able to drive anywhere on the mainland when temporary licences become readily available at any border checkpoint.
The Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge, also ready by 2015, will carry at least 20,000 cars daily. Through the temporary licence system, tens of thousands of mainland cars and their passengers will flock to Hong Kong.
Together with the even larger number of passengers arriving by rail, just think of the tremendous boost this will give to our tourism-related industries.
Those who still think we need to maintain a firewall along the border will have been proved totally wrong. Hong Kong and Shenzhen will very soon become practically one city, though under different administrations. Market forces will begin to equalise prices between the two cities.
Now you will understand why local property developers are desperately pushing their inventories, because they are much better informed than most and know that their golden days are over. Soon there will be practically no difference between living on either side of the Shenzhen River.
With improved travel links, the Pearl River Delta cities will be forced to diversify as their proximity to one another will heighten competition. The first to develop unique industries or attractions, therefore, will definitely enjoy an advantage.
The lesson for Hong Kong is that we must discard our insular mentality and confront the reality of regional co-operation and economic integration.
This is something which we are not very good at, and 'one country, two systems' poses many unprecedented problems. For example, questions raised over proposed joint customs and immigration inspection remain unresolved: in the meantime, many of the above scenarios will remain pipe dreams.
We should therefore take the initiative to start negotiations, and come up with creative solutions. At the same time, Hong Kong should strive to maintain its lead in the delta region and be the first mover in many areas. It is the only way to keep our competitive edge and our higher standard of living.
This is going to be the biggest challenge Hong Kong has ever faced and, if we cannot overcome it, we have nowhere to go but south.
Lau Nai-keung is a member of the Basic Law Committee of the NPC Standing Committee and also a member of the Commission on Strategic Development
