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Hong Kong outlines plans to deepen ties with mainland under first 5-year plan
The proposal centers on greater integration with China’s technology economy, leveraging a 30,000 hectare Northern Metropolis for science and technology parks and expanding cross border land links.
Hong Kong has begun work on its first five year plan, which an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post frames as more than a local roadmap, saying it should clarify how the city contributes to China’s national development while preserving the global connections that underpin Hong Kong’s value.
The SCMP argues the plan’s success should rest on three reinforcing pillars, deeper integration with the mainland, seamless connectivity across the border, and a larger contribution to the national economy. It highlights efforts to converge with China’s technology driven economy, including science and technology parks being built in the Northern Metropolis, a region spanning 30,000 hectares bordering Shenzhen.
On connectivity and integration, the piece says authorities on both sides have invested in physical infrastructure to support cross border passenger movement. It notes that eight land control points for travel by road or rail are already in place between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and that at least one additional crossing is planned.
The piece also cautions that Hong Kong’s service based economy cannot simply build a globally competitive technology cluster from scratch. It says the city’s advantage will depend on combining mainland scientific and technological strengths with Hong Kong’s internationally connected capital markets, universities, and legal institutions, and on using tailored schemes to address barriers to the movement of people, goods, capital, data, and intangible assets.