text/Yangcheng Evening News Hong Kong reporter Zhang Hao Wang Manqi intern Zhang Xiaoyue
video/Yangcheng Evening News Hong Kong reporter Tang Mingming
poster/Cai Hong
" Hong Kong has become better after its return to ." In Hong Kong's return 25 On the occasion of the anniversary, Cai Guanshen, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Entrepreneurs Alliance, said affectionately in an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Yangcheng Evening News in Hong Kong.
He said that over the past 25 years, Hong Kong has gradually developed into one of the world's most important international financial centers and has always served as a window connecting the mainland with the world. Cai Guanshen believes that there are many opportunities for Hong Kong to integrate into the Greater Bay Area , and the mainland is still the best place for Hong Kong companies to develop.
" Hong Kong has become better after its return "
Hong Kong returned to the motherland on July 1, 1997. At that time, some foreigners were not optimistic about Hong Kong. "There is a magazine that has 'Hong Kong is dead' printed on the cover, but we have seen that although Hong Kong has experienced so many ups and downs today, we have become better." Cai Guanshen said.
He told reporters that economic performance is an important measure of Hong Kong's development - Hong Kong's GDP increased from 1.37 trillion Hong Kong dollars in 1997 to 2.86 trillion Hong Kong dollars in 2021, an increase of more than 100%; the total foreign merchandise trade in 2021 About 10.27 trillion Hong Kong dollars, an increase of more than 2 times compared with 1997.
However, looking back 25 years ago, Hong Kong’s development has not been smooth sailing. In October of the year after the handover, Hong Kong encountered the Asian financial turmoil. Since then, Hong Kong has suffered from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus in 2003 and the international financial crisis in 2008... Cai Guanshen said that with the strong support of the central government, the Hong Kong SAR government has faced the difficulties. and successfully passed through one difficulty after another.
What impressed him most was the "black violence" incident in 2019. In his view, because some Hong Kong people have not straightened out the relationship between "one country" and "two systems" in " one country, two systems ", they have gone further and further down the wrong road.
When Hong Kong faced severe challenges, the central government took prompt action and implemented a series of measures such as implementing the national security law, improving the electoral system, and implementing the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong". Hong Kong society achieved a major transition from chaos to governance. "Hong Kong is now a very stable and safe society, and Hong Kong has so many advantages and it will only get better and better." Cai Guanshen said.
Hong Kong businessmen have advantages in starting businesses in the Greater Bay Area
In the 25 years since its return, Hong Kong’s economy has been developing steadily, but its economic structure is simple, mainly relying on finance, real estate and other industries. In recent years, Hong Kong has begun to explore industrial transformation and upgrading, develop science and technology innovation industries, and explore more diversified development.
In Cai Guanshen's view, the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has broken Hong Kong's "small market" dilemma. The total population of the Greater Bay Area exceeds 68 million and its consumption power is very strong. He believes that Hong Kong's small and medium-sized enterprises should see the development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. "As long as they focus on their own industry, even a bakery, restaurant, or barber shop can succeed."
"My hometown is Zhongshan , A Hong Kong college student opened a cake shop there, and they used the cake-making skills of Hong Kong star hotels as a selling point. The cakes were so beautiful and the business was so popular that you had to queue up to buy them. This was a success," said Cai Guanshen. Start-ups have a wrong idea. To start a business, you must be in the science and technology industry and engage in technology-related industries to succeed. "In fact, this is not the case. As long as you do something unique, you will be successful."
Cai Guanshen said that the Greater Bay Area is a major development opportunity for Hong Kong entrepreneurs, especially since the Greater Bay Area has many preferential policies. "The mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area have great support for entrepreneurs, including rent exemptions, labor costs, etc., and they will help you get through it even if you encounter difficulties." He said that Hong Kong businessmen know how to be flexible and believe that Hong Kong businessmen will There are advantages for starting a business in the Greater Bay Area.
Mainland China is still the first choice for Hong Kong enterprises to “go global”
An important change since Hong Kong’s return is that with the rapid development of the country, its role has become richer and its development space has become broader. Cai Guanshen believes that as a two-way platform for the country to "bring in and go out", Hong Kong is irreplaceable.In his view, Hong Kong has the "CIO" business card, namely "Super Connector" (Super Connector), "Investor" (Investor), and "Operator" (Operator).
Cai Guanshen explained that the so-called "super contact" refers to Hong Kong as an important channel for overseas capital to flow into the mainland. So far, about 60% of overseas capital investment has flowed into the mainland through Hong Kong. At the same time, Hong Kong has played an important role in the internationalization of the RMB over the past decade. Last year, Hong Kong's RMB real-time payment and settlement transaction volume increased by approximately 27%, maintaining five consecutive years of growth.
In terms of investment, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce, Hong Kong's investment in the mainland in 2019 alone reached US$96.3 billion, accounting for 69.7% of the total foreign investment absorbed by the mainland. This proportion has increased year by year since 2005. He said that Hong Kong is one of the largest sources of investment in the mainland.
"There is no doubt about the operators. After the reform and opening up, many Hong Kong companies have built factories and operated in the mainland." Cai Guanshen said with a smile, where is the first choice for Hong Kong companies to "go global" now? There is no doubt that it is best to choose the mainland, "because under 'one country', Hong Kong enterprises have advantages in the mainland, and the culture and language are similar, which is more beneficial to the development of enterprises."
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Looking to the future, Cai Guanshen said that under the framework of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong can continue to prosper and develop.
(For more news information, please pay attention to Yangcheng Pai pai.ycwb.com)
Source | Yangcheng Evening News·Yangcheng Pai
Editor | Yang Chuying
Proofreading | Xie Zhizhong
