Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020complete | Page 44

The Future of the Greater Bay Area
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Melwani, Shaun - 11
Everything in life, as we all know, has positives and negatives associated with it. In this analysis, I will talk
about the positives and negatives of establishing the GBA. So what is the Greater Bay Area initiative? The
GBA represents a cluster, collaboration and cooperation of nine different provinces and eleven cities in the
Pearl River Delta in Southern China including Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The aim is
to create a unified and connected financial, technological and trading powerhouse to rival other leading bay
areas in the world such as San Francisco, New York and Tokyo.
One of the biggest and main positives of the GBA is that it will have a huge trading platform. This will
create significant business opportunities for the region, helping local companies reach global markets as well
as foreign companies to venture into the mainland. The numbers speak for themselves: with more than 70
million people living in the region and a total GDP of US$ 1.56 trillion, the size of the GBA economy is
almost as large as Russia’s, larger than Australia’s and pulls in just behind South Korea. In fact, the
Guangdong province alone generates 14% of China’s national GDP and the Pearl River Delta is now the
largest urban area in the world, overtaking even Tokyo. In addition, all of the cities and provinces will be
connected by high-speed railways, super highways and bridges, if they are not already. This will lead to
further growth and provide the necessary support for these smart new high-tech cities. Such economic,
productive and infrastructural superiority will likely provide new jobs and opportunities for all within the
region and even attract foreign workers and companies.
On the other hand, there are a number of challenges to be faced by the GBA which may hinder its success.
The development plan must carefully consider inter-city rivalry and the “one country, two systems” policy.
Economic rivalry, especially between Hong Kong and its mainland neighbours, has been a concern in recent
years. Also, considering the current political situation in Hong Kong, the residents and citizens of the city
might be unhappy as the GBA evolves. I believe the success of the GBA is dependent on the cooperation
and understanding of Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong considering they have the three highest GDPs
out of all the cities and provinces in the bay area. Clearly they will need to be able to solve problems
collaboratively. Whilst the initiative recognises these issues, the question is: How will they be resolved?
Recent history tells us that co-operations like this do not necessarily work. Brexit is a clear and current
example of this where Britain felt that they had lost their uniqueness and identity by being a part of the
European Union. Another issue that may arise in the future, is that due to differences in GDP amongst the
cities, it may encourage immigration to the more successful cities like Hong Kong. This puts pressure on
these cities in terms of infrastructure, education and healthcare. Hong Kong has already experienced these
problems due to its lack of space. In fact, in Britain, the influx of European (particularly Eastern European)
workers taking away local jobs, was one of the main arguments for Brexit.
So what will be the future adventures of the Greater Bay Area? I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the
future, but the numbers I presented earlier predict a successful, high-tech and economic powerhouse that
has the potential to outdo any other collaboration of its kind in the world. However, as humans, we don’t
always agree on things due to cultural and ethical differences. This then hinders our ability to work
collaboratively and solve problems with compassion and creativity. As Henry Ford, who revolutionised the
car industry through the use of the assembly line and mass production, said: “Coming together is a
beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success”.