Op-Ed Contributors

Macao throws makeover surprise

By Lau Nai-keung (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-13 07:42

For most people, Macao is synonymous with gambling. This special administrative region (SAR) of China surpassed Las Vegas in 2007 as the top casino city in the world in terms of betting pool.

But what is little known is that Macao also has eight universities, catering mostly to students from the Chinese mainland. The government-funded Macao University, the largest in the SAR, has grown so big that it needs a new campus. But land is in short supply in this 29-sq-km enclave of half a million people.

The solution was found in Hengqin, a relatively less developed island twice the size of Macao that is part of the neighboring Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in Guangdong province. This was made possible after the State Council, the country's cabinet, earmarked Hengqin for development. The foundation of the university's new campus was laid in Hengqin at the end of last month, and construction is expected to be complete by the end of next year.

The central government's decision to lease the land to Macao is an experiment. And observers say the ultimate objective could be joint development of the island by the Zhuhai and Macao governments. In the long run, the two cities could be fully integrated, giving the "new twin-city" more vitality and a wider economic base. But no one is certain how this will be done under China's "one country, two systems" policy, which grants special status to Hong Kong and Macao.

The new experiment in the "one country, two systems" policy has given rise to many speculations. For example, will the experiment be tried out with Hong Kong and Shenzhen, another city in Guangdong? The Shenzhen local government has been lobbying with the Guangdong provincial and the central governments, as well as the Hong Kong government to intensify its integration with Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, it seems, is not averse to the idea. Last year, it even proposed "building" a Hong Kong-Shenzhen metropolis. The idea is to deepen the links between the two cities, which have a combined population of more than 20 million, but let two separate governments continue to administer them.

The economic integration of 11 cities, including Hong Kong and Macao, into the Greater Pearl River Delta region under the Summary Plan of Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region is being pursued earnestly. Guangzhou and Foshan have taken many steps to merge further and practically become one city. The general trend at this stage of national development is to create several big cities of 2-3 million people. Similar integration is expected to take place among Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou, and Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmin in the PRD region.

If just for a moment we forget about the "one country, two systems" principle it would make perfect economic sense for Hong Kong to participate in this new wave of realignment of cities. But experience of the past decade or so shows integration between Hong Kong and mainland cities in many areas is even more difficult than among different countries. For example, people of European Union (EU) member countries can move freely within the EU, but it's difficult to imagine that happening between the SARs and the mainland. The current intra-national borders are designed to be semi-permeable. People from the SARs can enter the mainland more or less freely, but not the other way round. Strict border control prevents the free cross-border flow of personnel and material, not to mention capital. This is a major reason why the Close Economic Partnership Arrangement between the mainland and the SARs has not been as successful as expected.

One way to get around this problem is to expand the SARs' areas. It seems the expansion of Macao University into Zhuhai is an experiment in this direction. If it proves successful, the entire Hengqin Island could become part of Macao. This could be done through a long-term lease, as in the present arrangement, or through some more innovative way. Or, the whole of Zhuhai could merge with Macao and become a much bigger SAR.

The point is that reform and opening up, as well as innovation, are the country's driving forces. The central government is most willing to experiment with anything that it thinks can benefit the people.

The "one country, two systems" policy is one of them, and like any other experiment, it is an ongoing process. Surprises can always crop up, and most of them have been pleasant so far. More experiments and more surprises like the Macao University arrangement are likely to take place.

As one of the major players in the world, China cannot go on copying other countries' examples, or doing what they want it to do. As a responsible country, it will experiment, innovate, and ultimately set examples for others to follow. One such example, a hot topic of discussion in the Western media, is China's advancement in clean coal power plants and renewable energy. And that is not the last pleasant surprise China has thrown.

The author is a member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress Standing Committee

(China Daily 07/13/2009 page4)