In proposing the creative "Northern Metropolitan Area" plan, the HKSAR Government emphasized the spatial pattern of the "Twin Cities and Three Circles" and the concept of inclusive development. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor particularly stressed that the "Northern Metropolitan Area" is a strategic layout in line with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen cross-border port and transport infrastructure, and the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone to form a "twin cities and three circles". This reflects that the SAR government has a deeper and higher degree of thinking on the integration of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and the integration and development of the two cities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen is in sight.
Hong Kong lacks fighting spirit
Perhaps because of its geographical location, economic status and people's mentality, Hong Kong society often has a "tale of two cities" discussion, comparing cities with similar geographical locations, convergence of economic characteristics and common development as competitors. Unfortunately, in the past few years, although Hong Kong has focused on "competitors", it has not had enough fighting spirit to strengthen itself.
The story of shanghai and Hong Kong has been discussed a lot in previous years. Shanghai and Hong Kong have many similarities, and both cities have strengths in finance, shipping, economy and trade. With the country's reform and opening up, pudong development, and Shanghai running forward, many aspects of Hong Kong have been compared. For example, the laurel of the world's largest container throughput has been given to Shanghai many years ago.
Internationally, Hong Kong loves to compare with Singapore. However, the internal friction of pan-politicization has dragged down Hong Kong, so that Hong Kong, which was once the head of the "Four Little Tigers", has been surpassed by Singapore in terms of economic aggregates, per capita GDP, or livelihood issues such as housing.
Shenzhen used to be a small fishing village with a low starting point for development. At the beginning of reform and opening up, the relationship with Hong Kong was only "before the store and after the factory", and Hong Kong, which was across the river, did not despise shenzhen at that time. However, the passage of time is easy, and the pace of national reform and opening up is too fast to cover up. Shenzhen, a small fishing village on the South China Sea, has quickly become a national innovation and technology center under the mentality of Hong Kong's arrogance and self-reliance, and its total economic volume has surpassed that of Hong Kong.
Many people compare the development of Hong Kong and Shenzhen to a "tortoise and rabbit race". Hong Kong used to be like a "rabbit" who didn't want to make a nap, but Shenzhen was definitely not a "turtle". 40 years of development proves that Shenzhen is a fully motivated dark horse, running forward non-stop.
Today, history has turned a new page, and Hong Kong, which is back on the right track, has finally found the direction of development, realizing that integration into national development is the trend of the times, and the vibrant Shenzhen will inevitably become an important boost to Hong Kong's development.
If the "Tale of Two Cities" told in the past focuses more on "competition", the future "Story of Hong Kong and Shenzhen" will be more about integration and development together; if the original "Tale of Two Cities" mixes with many arrogant mentalities in Hong Kong, the future of Hong Kong will lay down its body, clarify its positioning and roles, and innovate its thinking.
People generally regard the "Northern Metropolitan Area" planning as a strategic change in the history of Hong Kong's urban spatial development, and the joint development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Twin Cities is the core content of this milestone event, which will surely write a strong stroke on the overall strategic layout of the country. Under the great changes in the world, under the new development pattern of China's implementation of domestic and international dual cycles, Hong Kong's integration into national development, Hong Kong and Shenzhen join hands with advantages, the new twin city story will surely bring about a new golden period of development between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and lead Hong Kong to regain its glory.
The new Twin Cities story emphasizes deep integration
The new twin-city story, first of all, has a new thinking, on the basis of institutional reform to achieve docking, resulting in a new model of governance, reflecting the "one country, two systems" with the times of the new story. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that "the new planning breaks through the thinking and crosses the administrative boundaries of Hong Kong and Shenzhen", which conforms to the development ideas of the Central Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Not long ago, the central government issued the "Overall Plan for the Construction of hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone", proposing that the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone adopt a new system of joint consultation, co-construction, co-management and sharing between Guangdong and Macao, which is a huge breakthrough in the management system and will surely bring experience and reference to the integrated development of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, especially the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone.
The new twin-city story is bound to be not a simple cooperation, but a deep integration, gradually realizing economic integration, and giving full play to the role of "Hong Kong and Shenzhen are strong and what the country needs". The two cities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have their own unique advantages, and the industrial structures of the two sides are highly complementary. Hong Kong is better than finance, Shenzhen is better than innovation and technology; Hong Kong is better at basic research and development, Shenzhen is better than the transformation of achievements in technology research; Hong Kong hopes to "re-industrialize", Shenzhen is a well-known manufacturing capital; Shenzhen wants to cultivate a consumer market, And Hong Kong's consumption accounts for more than 70% of GDP... In the vast space of integration, their respective advantages will be better displayed.
The new twin-city story needs to be pragmatically promoted by Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It is reported that Hong Kong and Shenzhen have now upgraded the high-level cooperation dialogue mechanism, one hand to one. At the same time, the governments of the two places have set up 19 special teams, including the "Special Class for Promoting the Construction of Cross-border Rail Infrastructure in Hong Kong and Shenzhen", to serve the promotion of specific projects.
The "Shenzhen Speed" has been amazing for more than 40 years. The response from Shenzhen is still very rapid, clearly proposing the idea of coordinated development with the "Northern Metropolitan Area", and has proposed specific construction plans such as road infrastructure connecting the port and renovating and upgrading the port area.
In this regard, Hong Kong should improve its efficiency and adapt to the new development situation. "If you don't advance, you will retreat, and if you don't advance, you will retreat", Hong Kong should strengthen its sense of opportunity.
The author of this article is Yip Kin Ming, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and executive vice president of the Hong Kong Island Federation of All Walks of Life, and the original title of the article is "The New "Tale of Two Cities" Will Bring Hong Kong back to Glory", published in the A2 edition of Hong Kong Commercial Daily on October 28
Intern Editor: Yi Ting