Development that would benefit locals and mainland visitors
Bernard Chan says new housing with shopping malls may ease the crunch
There was a time when mainland tourists were seen as nothing but good news for Hong Kong's economy. But at some point, the numbers and the impact on residents started to be seen as a burden. A few weeks ago, it became a hot topic in the run-up to the Legislative Council election. Two news stories created confusion, panic and even anger.
The first was a One Country Two Systems Research Institute proposal to develop parts of the New Territories adjoining the border with Shenzhen. Some media reports suggested that Hong Kong would be virtually ceding land to Shenzhen for use mainly by mainlanders. Officials and the institute stressed that it was a proposal, not a policy.
The second story was the announcement that Shenzhen would allow four million of its non-permanent residents to apply for multiple-entry permits for Hong Kong, and other cities would do something similar. This created an uproar. New Territories residents told of shops being stripped of certain products by mainland traders, and shopkeepers putting prices up accordingly. People spoke of the difficulties of getting into rail carriages crammed with the visitors and their baggage. Legco candidates rushed to agree.
The new rules are now back on the drawing board for further consultation between the mainland and Hong Kong sides.
Hong Kong's proximity to the mainland inevitably makes us a favourite place to visit. We offer genuine, safe products, without any sales tax - a recipe for an influx of people wanting to buy high-end goods for themselves and for family and friends. It has also encouraged a whole industry of small-scale traders who cross over every day to load up with household goods to be sold at a profit in Shenzhen.
There is a very real possibility that we will hit the limits of physical capacity if the number of mainland visitors simply continues to rise. And anyway, there are limits to what Hong Kong people can accept in terms of the impact on their quality of life. Retailers and landlords do well, but for others it threatens more disruption to local retail outlets, price rises and significant crowding on the streets and on public transport.