Most young Hongkongers not interested in ‘China’s answer to Silicon Valley’, survey shows
Pro-Beijing group’s survey finds young people less than enthusiastic about Greater Bay Area plan
Most young Hongkongers do not intend to work on the mainland as part of Beijing’s plan to rival Silicon Valley by integrating Hong Kong and 10 neighbouring cities, according to a survey.
The Chinese government’s “Greater Bay Area” project aims at forging a business powerhouse across Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province. The bay area stretches over 56,600 sq km, covers 11 economies that were worth US$1.36 trillion in 2016, and has an estimated population of 66.7 million.
In recent months, Hong Kong politicians have said that the integration plan would help to solve various problems faced by Hong Kong’s businesses and young people.
In a report released by the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, the plan was also described as offering “unprecedented” opportunities. But the Hong Kong Youth Power Association, a pro-Beijing group, found that young people were not that excited about it.
The association, led by a group of Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) politicians, interviewed 878 local young people from March to April, and 58 per cent said they would not consider working or living in the mainland cities covered by the plan.
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