Hong Kong and its Greater Bay Area peers should complement each other while competing for talent
- Hong Kong’s failure to retain more of the bright mainland students it has trained adds to perception the city is in a sorry state, but dwelling on this alone is narrow-minded thinking
- City has a timely and more direct way to enhance its attractiveness – a total lifting of its mask mandate
Last week, I was finally able to set foot on the other side of the border for the first time in three years.
I joined a media delegation visiting Guangzhou, including Nansha district at its southern tip, designated as the “new engine driving high-quality development” for Guangdong’s more than 2,200-year-old provincial capital.
On a journey that also covered Shenzhen and Dongguan, a pleasant surprise for me was running into a young woman who used to take my class while studying for her master’s degree at Hong Kong’s Baptist University, where I taught part-time at its communications school.
In Dongguan, 75km from Shenzhen with a population over 10 million and an average age of 34 years, I met a graduate from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who had set up his robot design and manufacturing business there.
Greater Bay Area poised for post-Covid lift-off, says Guangdong party chief
The two young people I ran into had one thing in common: both were mainlanders who studied in Hong Kong but opted to build their careers up north in the thriving bay area cities. However, they treasured their time in Hong Kong and were truly grateful to China’s most internationalised city for opening their eyes and broadening their minds.
But dwelling on this alone is narrow-minded thinking. Under the “one country, two systems” governing policy for Hong Kong, the city’s stronger international connectivity, greater conveniences and many freedoms, including the free flow of information and capital, are the envy of the other side. During our tour, using a VPN was a must to access overseas networks.
Hong Kong needs to engage international stakeholders to get back on world stage
While Hong Kong and its bay area peers have different advantages and weaknesses, a critical first step is to enable easier movement of people to allow the freer flow of talent. It will benefit everyone.