HONG KONG, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The central authorities' commitment to promoting the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) brings tremendous opportunities to the region, and Hong Kong should restore order as soon as possible to jointly seek development with others, experts, businessmen and media have said.
According to a new document issued on Sunday, China will build Shenzhen, a boomtown in Guangdong Province, into a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Building Shenzhen into a socialist demonstration area will help deepen reform and expand opening-up comprehensively, the document said. It is also conducive to the implementation of the Greater Bay Area plan and the fulfillment of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
Lau Pui-King, an economist in Hong Kong, said after the release of the document, Shenzhen will see great progress in innovation, opening-up, social governance and urban reform in the future.
She said with the central government's strong support for Shenzhen's opening-up, Hong Kong can boost its cooperation with the neighboring city. However, Hong Kong must first stop violence and other law-breaking activities so as to avoid further damage to its economy, social order and international image.
Liang Haiming, chairman of China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, said that to build Shenzhen into a pilot demonstration area will further strengthen the interconnection between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
In particular, it will attract more Hong Kong financial and technological talents to work and live in Shenzhen, helping Shenzhen to become a world-class hub for innovation and technology, he added.
In the eyes of some Hong Kong entrepreneurs in Shenzhen, the plan to build Shenzhen into a pilot demonstration area will not only create more opportunities and convenience to them, but also set a new direction for the joint development of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Lee Tak-Ho, who started his own business in Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, said that with Shenzhen becoming more open and international, Hong Kong start-ups in Shenzhen will enjoy bigger opportunities and a larger platform.
Hong Kong has long been given an important role as China's window to the world. The right path for Hong Kong is to focus on the economy, improve people's livelihood, seize the development opportunities of the Belt and Road Initiative and the GBA plan, and integrate into the overall development of the country, said an editorial by the local daily Ta Kung Pao.
An opinion published on Hong Kong Commercial Daily said that while the neighboring city of Shenzhen is contributing to the development of the GBA as a pilot demonstration area, Hong Kong is now caught in a mess of unlawful activities and violence.
Focusing on development is the solution to Hong Kong's problems, said the opinion, warning that the current chaos in Hong Kong will hinder Hong Kong's future development and even that of the GBA.
The Sing Tao Daily pointed out in its editorial that Hong Kong's rule of law has been inflicted by the escalating violence, its status as the international financial center and global shipping center is being challenged.
The current economic and governing problems in Hong Kong can only be solved by development, not by internal friction, stagnation, or even backwardness, the newspaper said.
