The Corner for Political & Business Views — Finding a Way Out in the Dilemma

The chaos originated from the recent political disputes have been suffocating our city with negative emotions and ripping us apart. The core of the storm is the negative feeling of a portion of Hong Kong people against China and their distrust of the country. It is my opinion that Hong Kong and the mainland are closely connected. Hence, Hong Kong people should not be driven by resentful emotions and attempt to “break up” with the mainland, because only by maintaining mutual beneficial relationship with China can the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong be effectively preserved. We can hold different political views, but expression of which should always be peaceful, rational and civilized.

Hong Kong is an export-oriented economy; her major economic activity is foreign trade, which involves commodities and services. China's reform and opening-up policies began 40 odd years ago. Since then, Hong Kong has been playing an important role. As a result of the mutual beneficial relationship between mainland and Hong Kong, the development of our economy is driven by the robust growth of China’s economy. For instance, as China's financial system reforms progress, Hong Kong has become an offshore RMB business centre because of its advantages. The achievement of Hong Kong is not a gift from Britain or America, but is the result of Hong Kong people’s diligence and effort.

Our livelihood is closely related to the mainland. We can possess different political views, yet, there isn’t much room for bargaining when it comes to livelihood. For instance, water, food and energy are all essentials. We cannot sacrifice the living of the mass population for the sake of fulfilling the political purposes of some people. Most young people have never experienced the days when Hong Kong did not have enough water and power. Therefore, please do not judge the government in haste and ignore what the government has contributed in the past — cooperate with the mainland in various aspects for the maintenance of our livelihood, such as importing Dongjiang water to meet the local fresh water demand, which is a factor of our stability.

Another example: since 1994, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station has been supplying about 25% of Hong Kong's energy. Over the years, more than 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emission is reduced due to the plant and we are provided with reliable and cost-effective power. Try to put yourself into the shoes of our neighbor city: are we willing to build a nuclear plant in Hong Kong to supply power to Shenzhen? Despite which side you take or feel sorry for, destroying employment, upsetting livelihood, and causing harm to both others and yourself are not the right means to achieve any goals. We will all be victims if barriers are built between Hong Kong and the mainland.

It reminds me of the English idiom: “cut off the nose to spite the face”. It means you will not be able to breathe if you cut off your nose to teach the face a lesson. In other words, do not be driven by emotions and overreact. On the contrary, we should hold fast to humility and respect; we do not need to flatter anyone or feel inferior; we should not blame fate or anyone and should avoid reckless and irresponsible acts, or else, we will be bringing our own disaster. In the face of the present dilemma, different parties should first calm down. Instead of acting on impulse, they should be pragmatic regarding finding room for discussion. Mutual understanding between Hong Kong and the mainland is essential for the city to find a way out.

Chairman of Asia Allied Infrastructure

Dominic Pang

(This is a Chinese-to-English translation by Corporate Communications Department. The original article has been published in Headline Daily on 12 August 2019.)