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, Research Centre for Urban and Regional Development, 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 30 November 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 3 November 2009: Inter-city Competition and Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: 2009 Shenzhen Opinion Poll (in English) (in Chinese)

Press Release on 26 May 2009: Cross-boundary Infrastructure between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: 2009 Survey Result of Public Opinion (in English) (in Chinese)

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 made a Keynote speech "Urban Development in Hong Kong and its Regional Integration with Pearl River Delta since 1978" at The International Conference on Regional and Urban Development in the 21st Century and the Lingnan Forum, Organized by Sun Yat-sen University and Guangdong Social Sciences Association, 17-18 December 2011, Guangzhou.

Jianfa Shen made a Keynote speech "Cross-boundary Cooperation and Competition in Hong Kong- Shenzhen Metropolitan Region" at International Conference on Hong Kong 's Role in Globalization and the Development of China, Organized by The Center for Studies of Hong Kong, Macao and Pearl River Delta, Sun Yat-sen University; Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University; China Research Centre, University of Technology Sydney, 13-15 October 2011, Guangzhou.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Cross-boundary Development, Cooperation and Competition in Hong Kong- Shenzhen Metropolitan Region" at Academic Conference on Digital Metropolitan Construction and Management Studies, Organized by The China Science Center of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Space and Earth Information Science of the Chinese University of Hong Kong , and Key Laboratory of Analysis and Modeling of Regional Sustainable Development of Chinese Academy of Science, 19-20 November 2010, Hong Kong

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Urban development and competitiveness in Hong Kong: Opportunities and challenges of a changing relation with the Mainland China" at The Eighth Conference of Global Urban Competitiveness Project/International AISLo Conference 2009 Cities and Future, Organized by AISLo, 10-12 December 2009, Naples.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Cooperation and competition between cities: urban development strategies in Hong Kong and Shenzhen" at Forum on Pennsylvania's Cities and Towns, organized by The Global Urban Competitiveness Project and The Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania, 2-3 April 2009. Federal Reserve Bank Building, Philadelphia.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "Understanding intercity relations between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: The case of airport competition and cooperation" at 2008 Annual Conference of the Shanghai-HK Development Institute, 27 December 2008, Fudan University, Shanghai.

Jianfa Shen presented a paper "A study on cross-boundary urban development in Hong Kong and Shenzhen" at 3rd Cross-Strait Forum on Humanities and Social Sciences: City, Society, Culture - Innovation and Continuation of Tradition, co-organised by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Nanjing University and Taiwan Central University, 22-23 November 2009, Hong Kong.

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 "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.
 
 

Newspaper Articles

Shen Jianfa, 2011, Building third runway is the best option, Viewpoint, Mingpao, A32, 10 June (in Chinese).

Shen Jianfa, 2011, How to consolidate Hong Kong's status as aviation hub, Commentary, Hong Kong Economic Journal, P. 12, 6 June (in Chinese).

Shen Jianfa, 2011, The Bay Area of Pearl River Estuary should be developed for the interest of the whole region, Forum - Expert Views, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, A9, 6 May (in Chinese).

Shen Jianfa, 2011, The Bay Area of Pearl River Estuary plan enhances environmental protection, Forum - Expert Views, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, A9, 20 April (in Chinese).

Shen Jianfa, Sai Kuen Lo, 2010, Hong Kong's urban competitiveness increased with fluctuation, Forum - Expert Views, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, A17, 10 May (in Chinese).

Shen J, 2009, Enhance competitiveness of Hong Kong-Shenzhen metropolis, Mingpao, Forum, A30, 29 April.(in Chinese)

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

Inter-city Competition and Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Report of 2009 Survey of Public Opinion of Shenzhen

Cross-boundary Infrastructure between Hong Kong and Shenzhen: Report of 2009 Survey of Public Opinion

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 Jianfa, 2014, Not quite a twin city: Cross-boundary integration in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Habitat International, 42, 138-146.

Shen Jianfa and Luo Xiaolong, 2013, From fortress Hong Kong to Hong Kong-Shenzhen metropolis: The emergence of government-led strategy for regional integration in Hong Kong, Journal of Contemporary China, 22(84), 944-965.

Shen Jianfa, 2012, Cross-boundary cooperation and competition in Hong Kong-Shenzhen Metropolitan Region, Studies on Hong Kong and Macao, No. 5, 16-26 (in Chinese)

Shen Jianfa, 2012, Cross-Boundary urban development and integration in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Bauhinia Tribute, No. 5, Total No. 5, 63-70 (in Chinese).

Shen J, 2010, Cooperation and competition between cities: urban development strategies in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, in Kresl P K(ed), Economic Strategies for Mature Industrial Economies, pp. 132-159. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Shen J, 2009, A study on cross-boundary urban development in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Ma Eric K. W. (ed), Exploring Chinese Urban Studies, Research Monograph No. 79, pp. 225-254. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (in Chinese).

Ronald K. Vogel, H.V., Savitch, Jiang Xu, Anthony G.O. Yeh, Weiping Wu, Andrew Sancton, Paul Kantor, Peter Newman, Takashi Tsukamoto, Peter T.Y. Cheung, Jianfa Shen, Fulong Wu and Fangzhu Zhang, 2010,Governing global city regions in China and the West, Progress in Planning, 73(1), 1-76.

Shen J, 2009, Study on the airport competition and cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Journal of Urban and Regional Planning, 2(3), 104-112.(in Chinese)

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,Spatial strategies of urban development: rescaling and territorialization in post reform China, The Open Urban Studies Journal, 1, 11-18.
 
 

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: 852-39436469

WWW: http://www.grm.cuhk.edu.hk/~jfshen/hs.html

 
 
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