LettersChinese cities can reach great heights, but will never become Hong Kong
- Hong Kong has irreplaceable strengths, and must not aspire to become another Chinese city but to build on its uniqueness to reinforce its national position
Hong Kong is much more than a special administrative region of China, it is a place that allows China and the rest of the world to do business with one another. Without Hong Kong, its unique capitalist economic structure and democratic governance, where would today’s China be?
If Hong Kong somehow becomes just another Chinese city without all of its uniqueness, the entire country will be severely affected, at least for a few short years before China finally frees its market. That’s not the kind of shock therapy mainland China or Hong Kong can handle.
It is undeniable that Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other coastal Chinese cities have developed at a frightening pace, but each is still just a Chinese city. They will never become Hong Kong, simply because the difference in governance between the two sides is like night and day. Moreover, their development will reach a plateau just like Hong Kong’s did.