From left: Raymond Yip Chak-yan, former deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; Lionel Ni Ming-shuan, chair professor of computer science and engineering at the HKUST; Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee; and James Wang, research director at the Bay Area Hong Kong Centre, speak at a seminar titled “Strategic Planning of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Opportunities for Hong Kong” on Tuesday. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG - With the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) set to play a bigger role in the nation’s latest development, prominent political and business figures from the special administrative region and the Chinese mainland have urged the city to double down on efforts to hook itself onto the next big story unfolding in the country.
At a seminar titled “Strategic Planning of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Opportunities for Hong Kong”, held in the SAR on Tuesday, they said they’re convinced that the HKSAR is now blessed with a bright future as it makes a fresh start.
Painting an overall picture of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for National Economic and Social Development, the seminar aimed at helping the HKSAR community proactively integrate into national development and keeping the city posted about the fresh opportunities offered, said Leung Chun-ying, a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – the nation’s top political advisory body.
In fact, the HKSAR and most international societies have few clues about the status quo and strategic development on the mainland, he said. “We hope all sectors and people from all walks of life in Hong Kong could use the seminar to overcome the ‘not knowing’ hurdles, address some ‘unknowns’, read and tell the story of 14th Five-Year Plan.”
The outline (the 14th Five-Year Plan) also highlights the importance of establishing Hong Kong as a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region and promoting service industries for high-end and high-value-added development.
Hu Zucai, vice-chairman of China’s State planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission
The 14th Five-Year Plan, which sets out the nation’s vision for social and economic development over the next half-decade, was approved at the fourth session of the 13th National People’s Congress, held from March 5 to 11.
Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang told the seminar the blueprint entails critical, strategic deployment of national development, “lending concrete support and a pillar for us to forge a new driving force” for the mainland’s development.
ALSO READ: Coordination needed to boost HK's role in 14th Five-Year Plan
Xu Ze, president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said as the mainland economy emerges smartly from the chaos still seen in many parts of the world, global investors have voted with their feet to show their confidence in its bright future. “Hong Kong people can certainly be trusted with the nation and the city’s future.”
The world’s second-largest economy drew more foreign direct investment than any other country last year, dethroning the United States from the top of the list. The mainland brought in US$163 billion in capital inflow in 2019, compared with US$134 billion for the US, according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in January.
Citing remarks by President Xi Jinping at a welcome dinner held by the HKSAR government in 2017, Xu said what matters most is confidence – “confidence in ourselves, confidence in Hong Kong and confidence in the country”.
“My understanding is that we must fortify our confidence in the system and culture,” said Xu, a former director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. “What China has achieved in the visionary Belt and Road Initiative testifies to the wisdom of Chinese culture which we should definitely take pride in.”
Globally, the HKSAR has maintained the unique advantage of “one country, two systems”, with the expansive mainland market beefing it up, coupled with the close links with global markets, he stressed.
As the HKSAR makes a fresh start after two roller-coaster years, the golden opportunities and policy support highlighted in the 14th Five-Year Plan is undeniable proof that the city’s future is now secure, Xu added.
The 14th Five-Year Plan reinforces the nation’s resolution to consolidate the HKSAR’s status as a global offshore renminbi business hub, an international asset management center and a risk management pivot, said Hu Zucai, vice-chairman of China’s State planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission.
“The outline also highlights the importance of establishing Hong Kong as a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region and promoting service industries for high-end and high-value-added development,” he said.
Hong Kong’s traditional role as an intermediary and a connector (between the mainland and overseas markets) will be upgraded to that of a pivot, playing a key role in boosting the nation’s ‘dual circulation’ development pattern. This is an important strategic transformation for Hong Kong.
Liu Yuanchun, vice-president of Renmin University of China
Liu Yuanchun, vice-president of Renmin University of China, said that, compared with the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), whose chapter for the HKSAR was mainly about supporting the city’s development through policies, the latest development blueprint has more to offer at a critical, historic juncture. It offers unwavering support in turning the SAR into a world innovation and technology hub, enhancing its position as an international aviation pivot and developing it into an exchange center for arts and culture between the mainland and the world.
All these can be seen as an upgrade in the HKSAR’s strategic positioning, he said.
“Hong Kong’s traditional role as an intermediary and a connector (between the mainland and overseas markets) will be upgraded to that of a pivot, playing a key role in boosting the nation’s ‘dual circulation’ development pattern. This is an important strategic transformation for Hong Kong,” said Liu.
He urged the HKSAR to integrate itself fully into national development to promote its own growth. “A massive market is needed to push forward the integration of the innovation, value and industrial chains. Hong Kong should take full advantage of the mainland’s huge market and the nation’s self-reliance strategy in science and technology and integrate itself fully into it.”
Wang also underlined the national objective of accelerating the development of strategic scientific forces by launching a cluster of key national laboratories. To nurture an effective laboratory system, “we’re obliged to optimize their resources allocation”.
“Hong Kong’s science and technology forces are an indispensable part of the entire national system. We fully support Hong Kong in establishing a national science and technology platform to coordinate the integration and collaboration of both sides with a view to setting up a comprehensive science, technology and innovation center,” he said.
In Wang’s view, a sophisticated talent evaluation system is also of great value to realize the integration of science and technology development. “Hong Kong people are innovation enthusiasts, very proactive in participating in the nation’s science and technology innovation. “We’re keen to encourage universities and institutions from Hong Kong to get on board.
Yang Weimin, deputy director of the Economic Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, believes if the nation can well handle the unprecedented challenges and risks posed by the geopolitical storms and the coronavirus pandemic, it will see unprecedented strategic opportunities.
The mainland not only has to continue playing its role as the “world’s factory” well, it also needs to become the “world’s market”. The key is to promote opening-up and implement the “dual circulation” development pattern, in which the domestic market serves as the mainstay of the economy, while the domestic and international markets reinforce each other, he said.
Xu believes that integration and collaboration are the name of the game, as the HKSAR has made good efforts in nurturing ties with emerging neighbors across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the mainland as a whole, in a more proactive manner.
Mutual efforts by both sides have produced dividends. The HKSAR has made substantial progress in participating in the Bay Area’s development, he said. The first is in the gradual formulation of the planning and policy structure. Some 260 related policy papers were published in 2019, the year that the region’s development blueprint was unveiled.
Up to 40 of them were published by the central government. For Guangdong province alone, there have been 34 papers involving the construction of basic infrastructure and interconnectivity to create an environment for business, and policies catering to people from the HKSAR and Macao living on the mainland.
READ MORE: Bay Area job fair opens with 800 slots for young HK graduates
There’s also progress in strengthening connectivity of the basic infrastructure. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, as well as the Nansha Bridge, have been widely used across the region, Xu said.
