Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020complete | Page 84

Future Tales of the Greater Bay Area
West Island School, Huang, Vincent - 13
In 2017, while celebrating Hong Kong’s 20th anniversary for its return to China, President Xi
Jinping witnessed the National Development and Reform Commission, the two Special Administrative
Regions Hong Kong and Macau, and the governments of Guangdong sign the Framework Agreement on
Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Greater Bay Area.
This decade, the Greater Bay Area will be finalised, encompassing Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou,
Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing. The cities
combined occupy less than 1 percent of China’s land area but contribute 12 percent of its GDP. Each city
in the area will be better developed, more financially attractive, popular for tourists and give more
opportunities to all.
On September 23, 2018, the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station was opened 1 . Exactly one month
after that, one of the most ambitious engineering projects in the world was inaugurated— the Hong Kong–
Zhuhai–Macau Bridge 2 . These two projects will further integrate Hong Kong with other cities in the
Greater Bay Area, slashing travel times down to less than an hour from Hong Kong to certain mainland
cities, allowing transport to be more simple and convenient. The train station and bridge will also allow
Hong Kong, Mainland, and Macau people to easily travel across cities, allowing for more tourism and
business freedom.
The Greater Bay Area will give people more opportunities. Once the Greater Bay Area is finalised,
job opportunities will skyrocket; more people will have the freedom and flexibility to move across the cities,
giving more choices for whom employers want to hire and what jobs people want. Macau, known for its
casinos and malls, is developing its strengths, most notably with Zhuhai to increase business and tourism.
Zhuhai will also support Macau in diversifying its economy; the two will work together in the Hengqin
Free Trade Pilot Area to develop new industries and encourage the movement of people. People can find
jobs more easily in other cities in the Greater Bay Area. By using the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge,
tourists can easily travel from and to the two cities. In fact, since the bridge opened, there has been a 25-
per-cent increase year on year tourism 3 .
The Shenzhen Government will work with Hong Kong’s government and the Central government
to increase tourism as well. They will develop the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park
located at the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the largest technology and innovation park in Hong Kong. The
Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Zone will be just adjacent to the loop, on the north side. Through
city cooperation in the Greater Bay Area, they have also launched a Technology Talent Admission Scheme,
which is faster than typical applications, to allow overseas and mainland Technology people to work in
Hong Kong, improving technology there.
Because of each cities advantages— the high-quality technology, mass-manufacturing, and
financial experience, the Greater Bay Area is a lucrative market for businesses of all industries, from
manufacturing to tourism. The Greater Bay Area will improve life for nearly everyone living in and around
it.
1 "PR073/18 23 August 2018 High Speed Rail Service ... - MTR." 23 Aug. 2018,
http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/press_release/PR-18-073-E.pdf. Accessed 9 Jan. 2020.
2 "Xi Jinping declares Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge open ...." 23 Oct. 2018,
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/xi-jinping-declares-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-open.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2020.
3 "Greater Bay Area: 10 facts to put it in perspective | South ...." 1 Apr. 2019,
https://www.scmp.com/native/economy/china-economy/topics/great-powerhouse/article/3002844/greaterbay-area-10-facts-put.
Accessed 10 Jan. 2020.