The Greater Bay Area is Hong Kong’s economic opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t let prejudice or ignorance get in the way
- We are in the midst of a development that has seismic implications for Hong Kong, China, and for the global economy
- Beijing has invited us not only to build closer links with the region, but also to play a role in shaping it
I will lay a very large wager when I fly off to the United States on Thursday for a week of meetings with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): not one of the representatives around the table will have heard about the Greater Bay Area (GBA), or of the release last week of Beijing’s “Outline Development Plan” for the region.
The few US or Europe people I know, who have heard of the GBA, will tend to be sceptical, sensing that this is a Beijing ploy to absorb Hong Kong and to subvert the “one country, two systems” constitution that protects Hong Kong’s rule of law and civic freedoms.
I don’t know which is more troubling: the ignorance, or the prejudice. Either way, it must be a call to arms - to build a clear and detailed understanding of what is happening.
We are in the midst of a development that has seismic implications for Hong Kong, China, and for the global economy. Neither ignorance nor prejudice is helpful – whether in Hong Kong, where we are being given the opportunity to shape, and benefit from, a once-in-a-lifetime transformation; or afar, where people will need to take account of the challenge this will imply.
Let’s start with some basic insights: first, it is an “outline plan” of barely 50 pages. Lots of