Why a ‘mini Hong Kong’ in mainland China would be a better investment than an artificial island

The United Nations Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change recently released its shocking report on the increasing inevitability of climate change. The suffering will be unprecedented (“Landmark UN climate report flags life-or-death warning”, October 8).

I have just returned from the Tri Hita Karana Forum on Sustainable Development where the president of Indonesia spoke on happiness and where 30 new projects were launched, all in line with UN sustainable development goals, many alleviating suffering and poverty.

The Hong Kong government, in the meantime, has announced plans to spend half its reserves on the world’s most expensive but unnecessary ecological disaster (“In tomorrow’s world, Hong Kong’s leader sees a massive HK$500 billion artificial island in middle of the sea”, October 10).

First, Hong Kong has just ceded control of certain land in the territory and allowed mainland Chinese law to apply there. Instead of filling in the sea near a very crowded Hong Kong, why not seek land in a poorer region of China and cut a deal that Hong Kong laws apply to that new region?

Build a mini Hong Kong with strong connectivity and transport links to Hong Kong. Provide subsidies to people to move. Since Hong Kong has vast financial reserves that it could invest, build universities, schools, hospitals and parks and replicate the green environment we have in Hong Kong as part of the programme. The amount being thrown into the sea will go a long way in poorer parts of China.