Four things China’s Greater Bay Area plan failed to address in its Silicon Valley dream
- Newly released blueprint is heavy on initiatives but light on implementation, leaving questions on how policies would be carried out
- Hong Kong lawmakers raise issues about intercity rivalry, and striking a balance between integration and uniqueness
If China’s “Greater Bay Area” ambitions as mapped out in a newly released blueprint are realised, its southern region could become a sprawling hi-tech megalopolis beyond anything the world has seen, with a combined population of 68 million and a GDP of US$1.58 trillion.
The plan centres on linking Hong Kong and Macau to nine other mainland cities, rivalling Silicon Valley and the Tokyo Bay Area.
The 27,000-word document, unveiled on Monday, was heavy on initiatives but light on implementation. It set out wide-ranging goals to push forward the development of a world-class cluster, from improving connectivity, to speeding up customs clearances and energy security.
Hong Kong business chambers and pro-establishment politicians had joined the government in welcoming the blueprint, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor praising it for identifying new areas of growth for the city, and fostering the diversified development of its economy and industries.
“The blueprint offered a lot of opportunities for Hong Kong ... We have very good international links, and we have at least four universities among the world’s top 100, so Hong Kong is poised to become a hub of scientific talent [in the bay area],” Lam said.
