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The central government’s plans for the Greater Bay Area, comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities, were unveiled at a symposium in Hong Kong on February 21. Photo: AP
OpinionLetters

Letters | Hong Kong youth must drop their bias against the mainland to profit from the Greater Bay Area

  • IT-savvy youngsters will find an outlet for their talent and growth in the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area – if they can just be more open-minded
Hong Kong youth
Letters
Letters
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In the latest budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po repeated the government’s commitment to supporting the Greater Bay Area development, citing it as a golden opportunity for Hong Kong to explore new directions. It’s an encouraging statement that allows us to envision the brilliant future that lies ahead of Hong Kong. The government plans to allocate HK$111 million to set up a Greater Bay Area development office.
However, it is disappointing to learn that most Hong Kong youth are averse to working or living in any of the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. A survey of 522 people aged between 18 and 39 by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups found that some 68 per cent were unwilling to work in any of the Greater Bay Area cities on the mainland.

The success of the Greater Bay Area relies greatly on information technology development, which is underpinned by close cooperation between the four core cities in the plan. Hong Kong’s involvement is the most efficient way for our city to benefit from the plan.

The widespread reluctance of our youth to participate in the Greater Bay Area dampens Hong Kong’s hope of prospering as a result of the plan. Hong Kong youth, being creative, enterprising and at the forefront of the IT industry, should take the lead in engaging in Greater Bay Area projects. Young people should be the city’s main force in fostering a sustainable and win-win collaboration with the other Greater Bay Area cities.

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Our youth’s lack of motivation is an alarming sign that Hong Kong might be left behind and ultimately surrender, to Shenzhen or Guangzhou, its position as the third leading financial centre in the world. It was reported in February that Shenzhen’s 2018 gross domestic product overtook Hong Kong’s by HK$20 billion (US$2.5 billion), becoming the top city in terms of GDP in the Greater Bay Area.

Moreover, if Hong Kong’s well-educated youth and technology talent stubbornly reject the opportunities offered by the Greater Bay Area, they might find a lack of opportunities for their competence and potential, given the mature and saturated market.

A well-educated person should not only be technically or academically qualified, but should also be able to identify and make the best of opportunities. Hong Kong’s media can play a role in convincing the youth to be rational when it comes to deciding whether to pursue a career on the mainland or not. Schools and the government should help young people shake off their bias against the mainland and be more open-minded.

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