[photopress:Hong_Kong_15_thumbnail_Hong_Kong_.jpg,full,alignright]The idea of a Hong Kong-Shenzhen metropolis — megapolis? — could make it the third-strongest city economically in the world by 2020. The illustration is but a small slice of Victoria on Hong Kong island. Trying to think of Hong Kong-Shenzen as a single entity boggles the mind.
Zhu Wenhui, a consultant at the Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre’s Hong Kong-Shenzhen Metropolis Study Group, said should the proposed metropolis keep an 8% gross domestic product growth per annum, its GDP would reach $1.11 trillion by 2020. From a logistics point of view the two ports working as one would be seriously efficient.
Which would make the pecking order in GDP Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong/Shenzen with London, Paris and Los Angeles bringing up the rear.
The foundation proposed ten recommendations to achieve that status, one of which involves the building of a high-speed railway connecting the airports of the two cities forming a super air hub.
A spokeswoman from the Hong Kong Transport and Housing Bureau said, ‘We already plan to suggest building the Tuen Mun western bypass and another link of Tuen Mun and Chek Lap Kok . . . to shorten the journey between the two airports.’
Another proposal involves the issuing of electronic multiple-entry visas in the first stage and which would enable two million permanent Shenzhen residents more convenient access to Hong Kong.
On a national level, opinions of officials from the Commerce Ministry, National Development and Reform Commission and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office were solicited and the concept has gained the support from 90 and 60% of Shenzhen and Hong Kong officials, respectively.
Zhu Wenhui, said, ‘As a think-tank, we hope more discussion can be brought about on an important issue to the development of the region and the nation . . . and hopefully governments can use the report as a starting point for a policy breakthrough.’
Note carefully the research report was compiled without the blessing of the central government. But a Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau spokesman said the government has all along attached importance to the cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Source: The Standard
You must log in to post a comment.