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Friday, August 23, 2019, 23:43
SAR entrepreneurs applaud strategic plan for Shenzhen
By Zhou Mo
Friday, August 23, 2019, 23:43 By Zhou Mo

Hong Kong entrepreneurs are welcoming the recent central government guideline to build Shenzhen into a pilot demonstration area, saying that it will provide Hong Kong’s young people with preferential policies for working and living across the border and offer them more room to develop.

“As a Hong Kong young person, I am very excited to hear that Shenzhen will develop into a national pilot demonstration area. We will definitely be able to enjoy more support and preferential policies,” entrepreneur Tsang Yee said.

The wider cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong sets up a platform for Hong Kong young people to make diversified options

Mao Yanhua

 professor at the Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies at Sun Yat-sen University

Tsang started his entrepreneurial adventure in Shenzhen four years ago. The 708090 Co-working Space business he set up helps Hong Kong and the mainland startups grew faster by providing them with various kinds of services, including incubation, connection with government and investors, and promotion.

The grand strategic plan for Shenzhen is a “significant boon” for Hong Kong young people, he said.

“With ‘citizenship’ in Shenzhen, we will be able to enjoy a more convenient and easier life there. For example, we can expect to enjoy lower loan interest rates and simpler procedures in public services,” he said.

The guideline, issued on Sunday by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and by the State Council, stated that the new rules will encourage Hong Kong and Macao residents who work and live in Shenzhen to enjoy “citizenship” there in the areas of livelihoods.

The country had already introduced a series of measures over the past several years to facilitate working and living in Shenzhen for people from Hong Kong and Macao.

For example, Hong Kong and Macao residents who have lived in the Chinese mainland for longer than six months can apply for a mainland residence permit. This gives them easier access to public services such as banking, ticket booking, and social insurance.

Tsang called on other young people from Hong Kong to take a more open-minded attitude toward working and living in the mainland.

“Industries in Hong Kong are limited. In many areas, especially in technological, cultural and creative fields, Shenzhen is much stronger. Hong Kong’s younger generation should come to see how it is going on the other side of the border. Otherwise, they may miss good opportunities,” he said.

Charles An, another SAR entrepreneur who works on smart community-related projects in Shenzhen, said Hong Kong’s strong tertiary industry and Shenzhen’s advanced high-tech industry are highly complementary, which can unleash huge potential through integration.

“Shenzhen is a large hinterland of Hong Kong no matter in terms of market or in terms of space of development. Hong Kong’s service industry needs support to promote its growth, and Shenzhen’s high-tech industry provides exactly what Hong Kong wants,” An said.

Kam Ying-wai, an entrepreneur from Hong Kong doing smart control system in Shenzhen, said the growth of Shenzhen’s high-tech industry will attract more companies from other parts of the country to come to the city to seek partners, thereby bringing more business opportunities for innovative enterprises there.

Kam, who set up business in Shenzhen four years ago, said he chose Shenzhen as the place to do business because of its sound supply chain and also because he can find skilled workers easier there.

Mao Yanhua, a professor at the Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said the new strategic positioning granted to Shenzhen provides a platform on which Hong Kong young people can take “diversified options”.

“In the past, cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong had largely been in the area of economics and trade. In the latest document, Shenzhen was given high expectations not only in terms of economic development, but also in terms of legal, technological, cultural, social and ecological development. That opens up a much wider space for cooperation between the two cities,” Mao said.

“The wider cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong sets up a platform for Hong Kong young people to make diversified options, offering them development space comprehensively.”

Mao added that the local governments of Shenzhen and Hong Kong should further enhance communication in the field of public policy so these facilitation measures can be more effective and achieve better results.

sally@chinadailyhk.com


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