Chapter Notes: The Development of Our Country and Hong Kong's Integration

Hey everyone! Welcome to this important chapter. Don't worry if national development sounds like a huge and complicated topic. We're going to break it down into simple, easy-to-understand parts. In these notes, you'll learn about China's major plans for the future and see exactly how Hong Kong fits into this exciting picture. Understanding this is super useful, as it can show you the opportunities that might be available for your future studies and career!


The Nation's Blueprint: Understanding the Five-Year Plans

Imagine your family planning a big holiday. You'd decide where to go, how much to save, and what you want to do. A country does something similar, but on a much bigger scale! This is what the Five-Year Plans are all about.

What exactly is a Five-Year Plan?

A Five-Year Plan is a comprehensive roadmap that our country creates every five years. It sets key goals for everything from the economy and technology to environmental protection and people's well-being. It's the main strategy guiding the whole nation's development.

Think of it this way: It's like a video game where you have a main quest (the overall vision, like becoming a modern nation) and several smaller quests (the specific goals in the plan) to complete over the next five years.

How do these plans help the country?

These plans are crucial for steering the country in the right direction. They help to:

  • Align with an overall vision: They ensure everyone is working towards the same big goals, like improving technology or achieving common prosperity.
  • Meet development needs: They focus on solving real problems, like the need for better healthcare, more jobs, or cleaner energy.
  • Enhance competitiveness: They help the country stay competitive globally by focusing on innovation and strengthening key industries.
How do Five-Year Plans connect with Hong Kong?

This is the key part for us! The country's Five-Year Plans don't just focus on the Mainland; they specifically include policies to support Hong Kong's development. The plans see Hong Kong's unique advantages as being very important for the country's overall success.

For example, the 14th Five-Year Plan explicitly supports Hong Kong in several areas:

  1. Strengthening Traditional Strengths: It supports strengthening Hong Kong's status as an international centre for finance, shipping, and trade.
  2. Building New Strengths: It encourages Hong Kong to develop into an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub.
  3. Cultural Exchange: It supports Hong Kong's role as a hub for arts and cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.

To make this happen, Hong Kong also takes its own measures to align with these national goals. This creates a powerful synergy where both the Mainland and Hong Kong benefit.


Key Takeaway: The Five-Year Plans are our country's master plan for development. They are not separate from Hong Kong; instead, they include specific, important roles for Hong Kong, creating opportunities and a clear direction for our city's future.


Building Bridges: Integrating Hong Kong into National Development

Besides the Five-Year Plans, there are other major projects designed to connect Hong Kong more closely with the Mainland. Think of "integration" as teamwork – working together to achieve something bigger than what you could do alone. Let's look at two huge examples: the Greater Bay Area and CEPA.

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) - A Super-Region!

You've probably heard a lot about the GBA. Let's make it simple. Imagine taking Hong Kong, Macao, and nine major cities in Guangdong and linking them all together to create one giant, dynamic economic zone. That's the GBA!

Who is in the GBA? It's a "9+2" city cluster:

  • The 2: Hong Kong and Macao (Special Administrative Regions).
  • The 9: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing.

Everyone Has a Role (Development Positioning)
The magic of the GBA is that each city has its own special role, and they work together like a super-team:

  • Hong Kong: The international financial, shipping, and trade leader. The "super-connector" to the world.
  • Macao: A world centre of tourism and leisure.
  • Shenzhen: The powerhouse of innovation and technology. Think of it as China's Silicon Valley.
  • Guangzhou: The region's main administrative and transport hub.

Connecting the Dots (Infrastructure)
To make this super-region work, you need amazing connections. Massive infrastructure projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the High-Speed Rail have made travel between GBA cities faster and easier than ever before. This helps people, goods, and ideas flow freely.

What are the opportunities for Hong Kong?
The GBA opens up a massive domestic market and creates incredible opportunities:

  • For young people: A much wider range of career choices and start-up opportunities in a market of over 86 million people.
  • For businesses: Hong Kong companies can easily expand their operations and reach a huge customer base.

Did you know? The total economic output (GDP) of the GBA is comparable to that of entire countries like Canada or South Korea!

CEPA - A Special Trade Deal

If the GBA is about creating a super-region, CEPA is about creating a "VIP lane" for Hong Kong's economy to access the Mainland market.

What is CEPA?
CEPA stands for The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. It's basically a free trade agreement signed in 2003 that has been getting bigger and better ever since.

What are the benefits?
CEPA gives Hong Kong some amazing advantages:

  • Trade in Goods: All eligible goods made in Hong Kong can enter the Mainland with zero tariff (meaning no import tax). This makes HK products cheaper and more competitive.
  • Trade in Services: Hong Kong companies in many service sectors (like banking, law, accounting, and construction) get preferential access to the Mainland market, often earlier and with better terms than foreign companies.
  • Investment & Professionals: It makes it easier for Hong Kong residents to set up businesses and for professionals (like architects and doctors) to work on the Mainland.

Avoid This Mistake!
It's easy to think that integration is just a one-way street, with the Mainland helping Hong Kong. But that's not the whole story! It's about mutual benefit. The Mainland needs Hong Kong's world-class financial and professional services to help its own companies go global. It's a win-win partnership.


Key Takeaway: The Greater Bay Area and CEPA are two powerful strategies that link Hong Kong's economy and society with the Mainland. The GBA creates a huge, shared regional market, while CEPA provides a special "early access" pass for Hong Kong's goods and services. Both are designed to promote development for everyone involved.


Quick Review Corner

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Let's recap the three big ideas from this chapter.

1. Five-Year Plans: Our country's national "game plan" that includes specific support to strengthen Hong Kong's key industries (like finance and tech).

2. Greater Bay Area (GBA): A "super-region" of 9+2 cities working together, giving Hong Kong access to a massive market and new opportunities for development.

3. CEPA: A special free trade deal that gives Hong Kong businesses and professionals a "VIP pass" to the Mainland market with benefits like zero tariffs.