Hong Kong must play to its strengths to benefit from mainland trade strategy
Opportunities lie in the ‘One Belt, One Road’ plan for the city to put to good use its knowhow in services and management
That gives the city just six months to come up with proposals for capitalising on Beijing’s plan to promote trade and economic cooperation along the ancient Silk Road routes through Eurasia and across the Indian Ocean. It became clear at the South China Morning Post’s annual China conference that Hong Kong needs to be realistic in its expectations and focus on its strengths. In that regard, conference speakers clarified the potential. Lu Zhongyuan, a senior adviser to the central government on economic policy, said that since the city cannot supply infrastructure, with most industry and manufacturing outsourced and its building costs very high, it should focus on participation through what it is good at – services.