Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020complete | Page 94

The Greater Bay Area blueprint thus seems like a very well-thought out and feasible plan. However, there
are still many challenges the Chinese government has to overcome if it wishes to make a success of its plans
given the many inherent differences that exist in the various cities. Let’s analyse what these challenges mean
and if they can be overcome.
One of the biggest challenges is the existence of three different legal systems (Macau, Hong Kong, China)
and three different customs zones unique to the GBA. Macau and Hong Kong are two separate special
administrative regions with their own legal and taxation systems and currencies. There are also two hard
borders that travellers and goods would have to cross. This makes the execution of policies a lot more
complicated.
Some of these obstacles can be overcome with certain Central Government initiatives. For example, to solve
the problem of there being different currencies, digital currencies or online payments can overcome this
issue fairly easily, while Hong Kong can take over the primary role of external financing / RMB exchanges.
In terms of the difficulty of having different customs zones, the Central Government could coordinate
regional policies so as to streamline the process of crossing the borders, hence easing the movement of
goods, workers and capital.
Thus, these challenges do not seem insurmountable initially. That was the case until the anti-extradition bill
protests in Hong Kong began…
Will these protests compromise the picture-perfect utopia? Have they already caused irreversible damage to
the role Hong Kong will play in the GBA?
Over the past six months, Hong Kong has faced a whirlwind of protests, unrest and violence which have
threatened its position as an international financial centre. Hong Kong has many well-educated, competent
young people, with 5 of its universities being ranked among the top 100 worldwide. Before this, the
trilingual youth of Hong Kong would have naturally provided a pool of talent for the GBA plan. However,
these protests have shown that these university graduates are not exactly keen on integrating with the
Mainland.
These protests have also led to lawlessness within HK. Whether we are looking at the behaviour of the
radicals or the law-enforcers, violence has now become the norm. This means that Hong Kong’s tourism
has been adversely affected, potentially even for the longer term if unrest continues.
A recent ban on face masks has added even more fuel to the fire as it invokes a colonial-era emergency law.
The Hong Kong High Court later passed a judgement that the ban was not constitutional and did not
comply with the Basic Law. However, a spokesperson from the National People’s Congress (NPC) issued a
statement that only the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) has the authority to
make any decision on whether any HK law complies with the Basic Law.
Stuart Hargreaves, an associate professor at CUHK says it is not clear whether this statement is meant “to
totally deny HK courts ability to interpret the Basic Law in course of decisions” or whether “it is just a
‘helpful reminder’ that NPCSC has final say on Interpretation, then that’s business as usual.'' The first
interpretation would put Hong Kong’s judicial independence under strain, potentially eroding Hong Kong’s
financial role as global investors become wary whereas the second interpretation should leave Hong Kong’s
position intact.
To add to the uncertainty, the US has recently passed the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy
Act” in response to the escalating protests. This Act states that there will be an annual review on the
autonomy of Hong Kong. If the US decides it is not up to standard, not only will they impose sanctions on
the Hong Kong/Chinese officials involved but they could also remove Hong Kong’s special trading status.