China’s Greater Bay Area dwarfs US counterpart but still looks to unlock the secret of its success
- Chinese cities reach across to California in effort to replicate Silicon Valley’s mix of technology, urban development, trade logistics and innovation
- Despite differences between the two bay areas, including Chinese central planning, some believe potential synergies could spur closer ties over time
In rapid succession during a recent two-week period, the Bay Area Council’s Sean Randolph found himself speaking at seven Chinese universities, government agencies and think tanks in the Pearl River Delta and beyond, all eager to explore links between California’s and China’s bay areas.
“You get the sense it’s the flavour of the month, that word has come out from Beijing,” said Randolph, senior director of the council’s Economic Institute.
In addition to those directly affected, a host of aspiring Chinese cities have also reached out hoping to replicate Silicon Valley’s secret sauce of technology, urban development, trade logistics and innovation – and convince Beijing that they deserve their own bay area, with the funds and prestige that brings.
“They want that in their bay,” said Randolph. “OK, maybe it’s not quite a bay, but that doesn’t matter. There’s water out there. Hangzhou, that’s not really a bay, but they have waterfront property.”