Professor Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Vice President of Lingnan University, said that the Joint Research Centre aims to glean a better understanding of daily life in the GBA, and will find out more about residents’ views, thoughts, and the topics that interest them, through research and surveys. “Lingnan is the first university in Hong Kong to collaborate with a mainland college to conduct research on the development of the GBA and related policies,” Professor Mok said. “Hopefully the centre can help the authorities promote interaction between people on both sides of the border.”
The centre is supported by a team of around 20 researchers from the South China University of Technology and around 10 researchers from Lingnan University. Discussions will revolve around living conditions in the area, social policies, and social governance. Researchers will also compare the GBA with bay areas around the world, and look at ways to enhance cooperation between the different cities within the GBA. The aim is to develop a cluster of culturally oriented cities in southern China.
Professor Mok noted that Hong Kong is inextricably linked to the development of the GBA. “Urban agglomeration is reinforcing the importance of Hong Kong’s bridgehead position,” he said. “The city should actively promote regional development and make good use of its own strengths, which include free capital flow, financial liberalisation, a highly efficient public administrative system, and liberal, transparent governance. This way, it can establish a leading position in the GBA and generate greater impetus in tandem with the growth of different sectors in Hong Kong.”
Over 45 per cent of young Hongkongers have a positive attitude to the GBA
Professor Mok also spoke of the findings of the Joint Research Centre’s first research project, titled “Surveys on Youth and University Students’ Perceptions on Development Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area,” which was released on May 18, the day of the centre’s inauguration. He noted that the survey was conducted between March and April this year through a web-based questionnaire. Two separate groups of people were interviewed: 1,214 Hong Kong residents aged between 18 and 35 (referred to as “young residents”), and 472 local university students. The survey indicates that 50 per cent of the young residents and 45 per cent of the university students had a positive attitude towards development of the GBA. Nonetheless, only 35 per cent of the respondents in both groups expressed a willingness to work in the GBA. Around 20 per cent of young residents and 30 per cent of university students responded “Do not know/ Cannot comment” in the survey, demonstrating their wait-and-see attitude towards working in the GBA.
Young people’s many misgivings