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Hong Kong economy
OpinionLetters

Letters | Do Hongkongers really want Greater Bay Area integration?

  • Readers discuss the concern over the Hong Kong consumption lost to Shenzhen, and a dearth of taxis at China Hong Kong City

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Hema Xiansheng’s supermarket in Shenzhen’s Futian district is popular among Hongkongers for its crabs. Some in Hong Kong seem to expect mainlanders to spend in Hong Kong, without wanting Hongkongers to spend in Shenzhen. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
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Why are some in Hong Kong so concerned about millions of Hongkongers spending time and money in Shenzhen when our government is making an effort to integrate Hong Kong into the Greater Bay Area of which Shenzhen is an important part? Do we complement each other or are we rivals deep down？

It may be a politically incorrect question to ask, but do Hongkongers really want to be part of the Greater Bay Area or are we better off focusing on the more outward-looking Belt and Road Initiative? In the latter, Hong Kong at least has a more obvious role to play, in particular, by using our financial infrastructure to connect with most parts of the world.

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We want mainlanders to spend in Hong Kong, we want their investment, we want their talent but we don’t want to reciprocate. How does this equation work?

We should stop moaning and start pulling our socks up: improve the choice of eateries, tourism spots and border services so that mainlanders and other visitors will flock back to this forgotten Pearl of the Orient and fill up our empty bars.

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Joseph Chan, chairman, Silk Road Economic Development Research Centre

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