Bay area opportunities too good to miss out on

Fong Yun-wah warns against being idle as cluster surges into club of world leaders such as San Francisco's bay area

Recently Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying led a delegation of government officials, political figures and business leaders on a tour of Guangzhou, Foshan and other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cluster.

During the visit they met with local government officials, seeking to understand the cities' development in infrastructure, innovation technology and the attraction of talents, and exploring the possibility of further cooperation and interaction with them. The idea is to ascertain how Hong Kong is to cash in on the rare opportunities provided by the project. It is hoped the special administrative region government would be able to come up with some initial ideas in the next two to three months on how Hong Kong could respond in terms of city and economic planning and submit these proposals to the National Development and Reform Commission by the end of next month so they could be incorporated in the Greater Bay Area program, which is to be announced in September, and let the SAR board the country's economic express train.

As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Premier Li Keqiang introduced for the first time, in the Government Work Report to the National People's Congress last month, the plan to "research and formulate the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster program". It is another monumental project of historical significance in China's ongoing reform and opening-up toward becoming an international stakeholder, one that will rival the existing major bay areas around New York City and San Francisco in the United States and Tokyo in Japan.

The experiences of the existing bay areas show that these zones owe their ability to act as world leaders in innovation, economic growth and scientific and technological revolutions to an abundance of great talents and investment from around the world. The development of bay areas is similar to the emergence of Silicon Valley, including Sacramento and San Jose, which became home to many cutting-edge tech firms that enjoy a bumper supply of science and math graduates from top universities in California, such as University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University and California Institute of Technology. Those outstanding math and science majors played crucial roles in making Silicon Valley a cradle of endless high-tech advancement over the years. That is why no country can become a major power without advanced education and research sectors to ensure adequate supply of talents capable of converting innovation into productivity, ultimately fueling the national economy and boosting the country's power.

Therefore I propose: Hong Kong and Macao's universities borrow a page or two from the State of California in efficient training of engineering and math talents so they will stand a better chance of success in the future. How Shenzhen has grown up in the past 30-odd years, or how the Pudong New Area of Shanghai has turned out in the past decade or so, should inspire Hong Kong and Macao. I believe, in 10 or so more years, Qianhai in Shenzhen will also become a frontrunner in worldwide finance and services. The wheel of time turns forward and never stops or waits for anyone. Those who fail to go forward will be left behind and may even fall by the wayside. The Greater Bay Area development program will offer Hong Kong the same opportunities as it does other cities in the area but the central government has high hopes for the SAR to play a more important role. We should seize every opportunity as it emerges and push our development to higher levels. It is a shame that Hong Kong society has been bogged down by endless political squabbling and ill-motivated obstruction by the opposition through filibustering in the Legislative Council, at the expense of funding bills meant to boost economic development and improve people's well-being. If such counter-productive acts are allowed to continue Hong Kong will no doubt find itself so exhausted it has no strength left to progress. By then being left behind will be the beginning of the end.

As a matter of fact, cross-boundary cooperation will continue to intensify. With the XRL coming into service in future, it will be much more convenient for Hong Kong people to go north to work, for sightseeing and entertainment, and even to seek medical consultation. The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, built years ago with financial support from the Shenzhen government and currently headed by Hong Kong's famous liver transplant expert Lo Chung-mau, is a good example. Featuring diagnostic and treatment methods that are adopted worldwide as well as professional skills of Hong Kong medical experts, the hospital provides quality medical services to the general public. In view of the continuous rise of the number of cancer cases in recent years, the hospital is planning to open a center for clinical radiation oncology. Our foundation has decided to donate 29 million yuan ($4.2 million) to help the hospital acquire the necessary medical equipment, hoping we could help save lives.

The Greater Bay Area project will definitely bring great opportunities and prospects for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. It will also create a win-win situation in terms of financial benefits for the three places. The Hong Kong government must take advantage of this golden opportunity by coordinating with various universities to nurture the right talents for that purpose. It is also hoped that social and business leaders in Hong Kong could have a good grasp of the remarks made by President Xi Jinping during his inspection tour in Guangxi - "offer more enlightened ideas and propose pragmatic measures" - so as to unite Hong Kong society and tap all the brilliant minds in achieving the joint long-term prosperity of Guangdong and Hong Kong, with the motherland as our base and the whole world as the field of dreams, as the Chinese nation fulfils its promises and shining destiny.

(HK Edition 04/27/2017 page8)