Inter-city Competition and Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in the 11th Five-year Plan Period

Project Information

Principal Investigator

Prof. Jianfa SHEN

Director, Urban and Regional Development in Pacific Asia Program, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies

Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Funding Body

Public Policy Research Grant, Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, RGC Project No. CUHK4005-PPR-4.

Funding Period

1 September 2007 to 31 August 2009

Abstract of Research

Under the challenge of globalization and rapid economic growth in mainland China, both Hong Kong and Shenzhen are emerging as entrepreneurial cities with active development strategies. Hong Kong is facing enormous challenges from major Chinese cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai. It is said that Hong Kong is facing the risk of being marginalized in the 11th five-year plan period of China. While Hong Kong and Shenzhen compete in some areas, inter-city cooperation has become an important strategy for the governments of both cities. However, the current status of inter-city relationship is not satisfactory and has been criticized by academics and the public. Governments in both sides have failed to identify and match areas for suitable cooperation. Such uneasiness is related to the special context of different capitalist and transitional socialist economies in two cities respectively under the framework of "one country-two systems". Hong Kong government has to make critical public policy on the issues of Hong Kong-Shenzhen relations. The project will develop a conceptual framework of inter-city competition and cooperation in a unique institutional context of "one country-two systems" in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. One important question to be addressed is how the unique institutional context of "one country-two systems", CEPA and market economy affects inter-city competition and cooperation. A common governance framework for Hong Kong and Shenzhen relations will be established. Through fieldwork, interviews and surveys, this research will assess the urban development strategies and the position of inter-city cooperation in two cities. Is there any room for cooperation when two cities compete in many areas? The needs, benefits and concerns of Hong Kong and Shenzhen sides will be analyzed. Policy suggestions will be proposed regarding what Hong Kong government can do to handle inter-city competition and break the bottlenecks of inter-city cooperation.

News

Press Release on 23 June 2008: Developing Boundary Area between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: 2008 Survey Result of Public Opinion (in English) (in Chinese)

Press Release on 28 April 2008: Cooperation of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Airports: 2008 Survey Result of Public Opinion (in English) (in Chinese)

Press Release on 10 March 2008: Inter-city Competition and Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: 2008 Survey Result of Public Opinion (in English) (in Chinese)

Jianfa Shen presented a Guest Lecture "Hong Kong's economic integration with Pearl River Delta" at Department of Economics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 6 November 2008, Hong Kong.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Intercity competition and cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen" at Symposium on Mega-regions and Spatial Planning: An International Perspective, Organized by Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Peking University-Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy, 28-29 October 2008, Beijing.

Jianfa Shen presented a seminar "Intercity competition and cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: theories, realities and policies" at The Centre of Urban Studies and Urban Planning, The University of Hong Kong, 15 October 2008, Hong Kong.

Xiaolong Luo andJianfa Shen presented a paper "The making of new regionalism in building Hong Kong-Shenzhen Metropolis, China" at The 3rd Korea-China-Japan Joint Conference on Geography, Cheongju University, 8-11 October 2008, Cheongju, South Korea.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Inter-city competition and cooperation, and sustainable development of Hong Kong-Shenzhen urban cluster" at the 5th International Forum on Urban Competitiveness, organized by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Yangzhou Municipal Government, 26-27 July 2008, Yangzhou.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Competition or cooperation? Assessing intercity relations between Hong Kong and Shenzhen" at the Workshop on Governing Global City-Regions in China and the West: A Comparative Approach, organized by School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong-America Center, 2-4 June 2008, Hong Kong.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Inter-city cooperation and competition between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Institutional constraints and asymmetric urban governance" at the Sub-Forum of Strategic Choices for Asian Cities under Globalization, Shanghai Forum 2008. Shanghai Forum Organizing Committee, Fudan University, 24-27 May 2008, Shanghai.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Pearl River Delta: Changing Relations under Globalization" at 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, 15-19 April 2008, Boston.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Cross-boundary urban development in Hong Kong and Shenzhen 1997-2007" at International Conference on China's Urban Land and Housing in the Twenty-first Century, Organized by The Centre for China Urban and Regional Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, 13-15 December 2007, Hong Kong.
 
 

Newspaper Articles

Shen J, 2008, Hong Kong-Shenzhen relation in transition, Forum Section, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, B04, 8 August.(in Chinese)

Shen J, 2008, Relative competition between Hong Kong and Shenzhen does not affect cooperation, Forum Section, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, B04, 13 August.(in Chinese)
 
 

Reports

Developing Boundary Area between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Report of 2008 Survey of Public Opinion

Cooperation of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Airports: Report of 2008 Survey of Public Opinion

Inter-city Competition and Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Report of 2008 Survey of Public Opinion
 
 

Research Papers

Shen J, 2008, Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty: economic relations with mainland China 1978-2007, Eurasian Geography and Economics, 49(3), 326-340.

Shen J, 2008, Inter-city relations between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Implications for urban planning and governance, Planning and Development, 23(2), 2-14.

Shen J, 2008, Intercity competition and cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Paper presented at Symposium on Mega-regions and Spatial Planning: An International Perspective, Organized by Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Peking University-Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy, 28-29 October, Beijing.

Shen J, 2008, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Pearl River Delta: Changing relations under globalization, Paper presented at 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, 15-19 April, Boston.

Shen J, 2007, Cross-boundary urban development in Hong Kong and Shenzhen 1997-2007, Paper presented at International Conference on China's Urban Land and Housing in the Twenty-first Century, Organized by The Centre for China Urban and Regional Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, 13-15 December, Hong Kong.
 
 

Contact

If you have any views, suggestions and enquires on inter-city competition and cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen and this project, please contact us:

Prof. Jianfa Shen, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong

Email: jianfa@cuhk.edu.hk

Fax: 852-26035006

Tel: 852-26096469

WWW: http://ihome.cuhk.edu.hk/~b890706/hs.html

 
 
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