Mainland affairs minister Patrick Nip says Hong Kong has freedom to manoeuvre when it comes to ‘Greater Bay Area’ plan
- City will have a say on how national blueprint is implemented and should seize opportunities it creates, Nip says
- Amount of tax Hongkongers who work across the border should pay still being discussed
On Saturday, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, also said while there was no way to stop talented employees moving between cities, Hong Kong could turn the national blueprint to its advantage by seizing the development opportunities it created.
This week, Beijing published its vision to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in the neighbouring Guangdong province into a cluster of world-class metropolises, and a thriving global centre of technology, innovation and economic vibrancy, which it hopes will eventually rival Silicon Valley.
There was mixed reaction to the proposals in Hong Kong. Business leaders and pro-establishment politicians joined the government in welcoming the plan, while opposition lawmakers questioned whether the city’s freedoms, enshrined in the principle of “one country, two systems”, would be eroded by the integration the blueprint calls for.
Others were concerned the plan would see talented workers move across the border, and lead to a brain drain.
Two days after a high-powered symposium where Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Hong Kong would not become like other mainland cities, Nip emphasised that Hong Kong had a say in the way forwards.