Advertisement
Hong Kong economy
OpinionComment
Xiang Zhang
Xiang Zhang

Opinion | For itself and China, Hong Kong’s only recipe for success is to be a truly international city

  • Hong Kong must strengthen its global links, lead the Greater Bay Area integration and educate our young into tomorrow’s pioneers of innovation
  • It’s high time Hong Kong thought more progressively and comprehensively about China’s needs, and what we can bring to the table

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Xiang Zhang
Hong Kong has historically been a key cornerstone to China’s reform and opening up. As the city turns a new page, for it to serve its residents and the rest of the country at the same time, it must remain the most international, open and pluralistic city on Chinese soil. Indeed, our distinctive mixture of substantial economic freedoms, robust common-law jurisdiction and cosmopolitan ethos has seen this city go from strength to strength.
Advertisement

Yet the world we live in today is experiencing an unprecedented intersection of challenges. Geopolitical conflicts and tensions, socioeconomic inequalities, and existential risks such as climate change and pandemics, have contributed to growing discontent across the world.

Hong Kong, too, stands at a crossroads. Staying the course is no longer sufficient. Hong Kong must proactively deepen and broaden its engagement with the world. We should not serve merely as a bridge connecting two circles – China, and the rest of the world. Instead, we must strive towards becoming a beacon of transformation that sublimates and elevates both circles.

Only then can Hong Kong play its part in China’s journey towards becoming a truly respected, interconnected and compassionate global power. For Hong Kong to not only survive but revitalise itself, the only path lies in internationalisation.

First, we must rethink what “international” means. I spent most of my career straddling both sides of the Pacific. I count myself among the foremost beneficiaries of the golden era of globalisation.

Advertisement
Indeed, this city has long served as a confluence of ideas and between the East and West, whether for entrepreneurs, investors or scientists such as myself.
Advertisement