Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs

Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s

participation in national affairs

1 Benefits of Hong Kong’s participation in national affairs

1.1 National policies that support Hong Kong’s development

A Supporting Hong Kong in handling risks and challenges

• After reunification, the Central Government rolled out corresponding measures to assist Hong
Kong in overcoming its difficulties and ensured the city’s continuous prosperity and stability.
Difficulties faced
Support from the Central Government
by Hong Kong
• Threatening citizens’ • The CPG provided Hong Kong with large
health quantities of medicines and medical
• Hitting economy badly devices without considering any return
• After the epidemic, the CPG and the
HKSAR Government signed the
Mainland and Hong Kong Closer
Economic Partnership Arrangement
SARS epidemic
(CEPA)
(2003)
🡪Enhance economic cooperation
between the Mainland and Hong Kong
• Implemented the Individual Visit
Scheme for Mainland residents to Hong
Kong
🡪Assist the recovery of Hong Kong’s
economy after the epidemic
• The growth of exports To stimulate the economic revival of
slowed down visibly Hong Kong：
• Small and medium • Rolled out 14 measures to support Hong
Global financial
enterprises faced Kong’s economic development
crisis
difficulties in running • A 200-billion currency swap
(2008)
their business agreement between the People’s Bank of
• The unemployment rate China and the Hong Kong Monetary
increased Authority was signed
An urgent need to enhance • Acceded to the request of the HKSAR
the capability in combating Government by sending testing personnel
the epidemic to Hong Kong to assist in the large-scale
virus testing programme
Coping with the
🡪for identifying asymptomatic patients in
COVID-19
the community
epidemic
• Assisted Hong Kong in speeding up the
(2020)
construction of temporary isolation and
treatment centres
🡪increasing the bearing capacity of
isolating and treating patients.

B Consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s competitive advantages

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Modern Citizenship and Social Development Student’s Quick Revision Notes for Examination
Topic 2 Situation of the Country and Sense of National Identity
• Through implementing a series of policies, the Central Government consolidates and enhances
the competitiveness and status of Hong Kong in these fields.
The inherent competitive Policy support from the Central
advantages of Hong Kong Government
• Major financial centre in the • Supports Hong Kong to provide Renminbi
Asian region： services, including conversion and bonds.
diversified financial • Established the connectivity mechanism
market for connecting the stock markets and the
🡪attracts banks and financial bond markets of the Mainland and Hong
Financial institutions from all over the Kong
services world to operate in the city 🡪Hong Kong becomes：
industry • A fund raising and An Offshore Renminbi centre;
financing centre for the An important gateway for foreign capital
Mainland. to enter the Mainland;
An important gateway for Mainland
capital to enter the international capital
market
• International trade centre: • Concluded the CEPA and a number of
Its values of imports and supplements with the HKSAR government
exports , as well as its 🡪grant all Hong Kong products tariff-free
container throughput and treatment.
External
freight cargoes, come top in • Put forward a policy to reinforce and
trade
the world enhance Hong Kong’s status as an
• Largest trading partner : international shipping and air transport
Mainland (with the highest centre in the national plan
share in re-exports )
• Well-developed • The Ministry of Science and Technology of
technological infrastructure the PRC and the HKSAR Government have
• Comprehensive system to concluded a number of
protect intellectual property cooperation agreements
• Have the potential to 🡪strengthen their cooperation in aspects
develop the innovation and such as scientific research, setting up
technology industries research and development (R&D) centres ,
nurturing talents
🡪 funding R&D projects with elements
of cooperation between the Mainland and
Hong Kong
Innovation
• 16 laboratories set up by the tertiary
and
institutions in Hong Kong have been
technology
accredited as State Key Laboratories
🡪help Hong Kong gain the country’s
support for its R&D projects
• The Chinese Academy of Sciences
cooperates with the HKSAR Government
and has set up affiliated institutions in
Hong Kong
🡪promote the transfer of research
deliverables;
🡪carry out technology education and
promotion

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 Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs
C Enhancing the exchange and cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong
• The Central Government has implemented various policies in different fields to promote the
exchange and cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong.
Effectiveness of the exchange
Central Government policy and cooperation between the
two places
Supports the development of transport • Meets the demand for traffic
infrastructure between the two places, and transport between the two
including: places.
• Shenzhen Bay Bridge, • Shortens the time needed to
• Guangzhou-ShenzhenHong Kong travel between the two places,
Infrastructure
Express Rail Link (XRL) forming a “one-hour living
• Hong KongZhuhai-Macao Bridge circle”
• Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control 🡪quicken the integration
Point of Hong Kong into the Pearl
River Delta Region
Concluding the CEPA with the HKSAR • Removes the barriers in
Government. Measure include: aspects such as goods trade,
• granting tariff free treatment services trade and investment
Economic
• enhancing cooperation in the fields • Facilitates Hong Kong to
and trade
of finance, tourism, accounting, conclude cooperation
cooperation
e-commerce, etc agreements with Shenzhen,
Shanghai and Beijing to build
communication platforms
Supports cross-border student enrolment Enables local students to:
in the Mainland and Hong Kong. • apply for higher education
Measures include: institutions in the Mainland
• formulating the Scheme for Admission using their results of the Hong
of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Kong Diploma of Secondary
Higher Education Institutions Education Examination
(Admission Scheme) • get in touch and exchange with
• assisting to recruit self-financing Mainland students at local
students in the Mainland institutions
🡪enhance their competitiveness
Educational to develop their career in the
exchange Mainland
• Supports Hong Kong institutions to: Bringing:
open universities with Mainland • funds
higher education institutions jointly • development opportunities
• Supports Hong Kong’s institutions, for academic research in Hong
research institutes and technology Kong
talents to:
(1) apply for national technology
research and development projects
(2) participate in technological
projects (such as aerospace)
Signed the cooperation agreements, • Films：CEPA promotes the
Cultural covering the areas of: opening up of the Mainland and
exchange • Talent development produce films jointly
• Heritage conservation • Cultural heritage exhibitions:
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Modern Citizenship and Social Development Student’s Quick Revision Notes for Examination
Topic 2 Situation of the Country and Sense of National Identity
• Cultural and creative industries , etc The Mainland museums often
provide precious cultural
relics to Hong Kong for
exhibition.

D Securing the basic living necessities for Hong Kong

Central Government initiatives Essential benefits for life in Hong Kong
• Since 1962, the " three express • Ensure a stable supply of fresh food
trains" has been implemented (fixed
schedule, fixed route, fixed
location):
Three trains are arranged to deliver
fresh food (e.g. live poultry,
aquatic products, vegetables) to
Hong Kong when the Mainland’s
own food supply was relatively
Food tight
• In recent years：
Food from the Mainland is
delivered to Hong Kong by road
• Arranges farms with high • Ensure the quality of food supplied
standards of quality and safety to to Hong Kong
produce and process food to Hong
Kong.
• Strictly supervises the
environment of the farms, the
production and transport process
• In the 1960s： • Saved Hong Kong from anxiety of
Supported the Guangdong water shortages
Provincial Government to sign an • Guarantee the stable supply of water
agreement with the Hong Kong
government to start supplying fresh
water from the Shenzhen Reservoir
Water
and Dongjiang
• In recent years： • Ensure the quality of Dongjiang
Constructing closed aqueducts; water
Strengthening environmental
conservation for the source of the
Dongjiang water
• Support the joint venture of the • Access to • Gradually replacing
Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant relatively coal with cleaner
operated by enterprises from Hong low-price energy for generating
Kong and Mainland electricity electricity
🡪reducing
Energy carbon emissions
• Construct the West–East Natural • Guarantees
Gas Pipeline and the supply of and improving the
• Build liquefied natural gas natural gas environment
(LNG) terminals.

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 Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs
1.2 Equipping Hong Kong with the advantage of “one country, two systems”

A. Integration into the national development

The inherent
The policies of Central government advantages of Hong
Kong
Since the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Central An important strategic
Government has had individual chapters for the position in national
content related to Hong Kong development

For example, in the 14th Five-Year Plan Has the competitive

(2021–2025), the Central Government support advantages endowed
Hong Kong to: by “one country, two
• enhance its status as an international systems”, including
financial, transportation and trade centre and access to an open
The national international aviation hub financial market,
Five-Year plans • strengthen the function as a global offshore common law system,
Renminbi business hub, an international asset cooperation with the
management hub and a risk management Mainland in
centre developing Renminbi
• become an international or regional centre for business , legal
law, intellectual property trade , cultural mediation and other
exchange, etc. industries
• promote service industries for high-end and
high value-added development
Formulating measures that benefit Hong Kong Under “one country,
residents in the GBA: two systems”, Hong
(1) Supporting the government institutions and Kong can play the
enterprises to recruit Hong Kong role of promoting
Development of
residents development in the
the Greater Bay
(2) Encouraging innovation and GBA by capitalising
Area
entrepreneurship among the youth of on its advantages of
Hong Kong being highly open and
(3) Offering the same treatment as Mainland internationalised.
residents when purchasing properties

B Judicial assistance in civil and commercial matters between the Mainland and
Hong Kong
Policy on judicial assistance between the
The advantages for Hong Kong
Mainland and the HKSAR Government
• Reached a number of agreements Utilising the advantage of implementing the
concerning mutual legal assistance. The common law system and going global under
agreements cover the service of judicial the “one country, two systems” principle
documents and taking of evidence in civil 🡪Development of cross-boundary legal
and commercial matters services in the Mainland and abroad 🡪 as
• Reciprocal recognition of civil the centre for international legal and
judgements relating to bankruptcy, dispute resolution services in the
marriage, etc. Asia-Pacific region

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Modern Citizenship and Social Development Student’s Quick Revision Notes for Examination
Topic 2 Situation of the Country and Sense of National Identity
• Mutual assistance in court-ordered
interim measures of protection in aid
of arbitral proceedings

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 Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs

2 The HKSAR’s contribution to the country

2.1 Facilitating reform and opening up of the Mainland

A Investing in the Mainland market

• At the beginning of reform and opening up, foreign enterprises did not have enough
knowledge about the situation of the Mainland market and its economic policies. They had
reservations about investing in the Mainland directly.
• Hong Kong’s commercial and industrial sectors took the lead in investing in the Mainland.
They set up factories and established Sino-foreign equity joint ventures. They also
introduced advanced production equipment , technology and management methods to
the Mainland.
• Their successful experience of investing in the Mainland had attracted international capital
from Europe, the US, etc. to invest in the Mainland. Up to now, Hong Kong is still the
Mainland’s major source of external investment .

B Promoting the development of market economy in the Mainland

In the early stage of reform and opening up, the model and system of market
economy in the Mainland was still at its initial stage, and Hong Kong was
Experience
used as a reference point.
for
For example, with reference to Hong Kong’s experience, Shanghai
reference
established a land system that was aligned with the development of market
economy in the 1980s.
Many Hong Kong professionals went to the Mainland to help train
professionals there. They gave advice and suggestions to facilitate the
economic development of the Mainland market. For example,
(1) Association of Experts for Modernization Limited:
It volunteered to introduce Hong Kong’s market economy and related
Introduction
professional and management knowledge to Mainland officials.
of
(2) Leung Chun-ying: Explaining Western management
knowledge
system of land economy in Mainland
(3) Anthony Neoh: Assisted the Mainland in reforming its securities markets
(4) Laura Cha Shih May-lung: Assisted the
Mainland in establishing a regulatory
system for its securities markets

C Serving the function of early and pilot implementation

• The Central Government tried implementing new policies in Hong Kong first from time to
time. After accumulating experience, it would gradually promote the policies to the country.
This would effectively control risks while facilitating the opening up of the country to the
outside world. For example,
(1) In accordance with the framework set out in the CEPA , the liberalisation of trade in
services of Guangdong with Hong Kong and Macao has been implemented first on a
trial basis.
(2) Supports Hong Kong to operate offshore Renminbi businesses
(3) Establishes connectivity mechanisms with the stock and bond markets
🡪 Helps build up experience in developing trade and financial services industries.
🡪 Enables the country to open up its financial services industries

D Exemplar of city management

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Modern Citizenship and Social Development Student’s Quick Revision Notes for Examination
Topic 2 Situation of the Country and Sense of National Identity
• The Mainland has drawn on Hong Kong’s experience in urban construction and
management, public services etc. For example,
(1) Following the experience of the construction and management of the MTR Corporation,
the Guangzhou Metro supports its railway development with income gained from
properties developed along the metro lines .
(2) Shanghai Airport (Group) Co., Ltd. has introduced the advanced management experience
of the Hong Kong International Airport to improve its service quality of Shanghai
Hongqiao Airport.

2.2 Participating in charitable activities to support the Mainland

A Supporting disaster relief and reconstruction

• Whenever there are serious disasters in the Mainland, Hong Kong spares no effort in giving
support to the disaster-stricken areas.
Incident in the Mainland Support provided by Hong Kong
• The citizens in Hong Kong donated a total of 13 billion
dollars for disaster relief and supporting 190 reconstruction
projects.
• Many Hong Kong citizens volunteered to go to the
Wenchuan earthquake
disaster area and help with the relief and post-disaster
（2008）
reconstruction.
• The HKSAR Government deployed search and rescue
teams, medical teams and epidemic prevention teams to the
disaster-stricken areas to participate in rescue operations
• Hong Kong donated over 100 million Hong Kong dollars to
Earthquake in Yushu County the disaster-stricken areas
（2010） • Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild organised a
campaign to raise fund for the disaster stricken areas

B Donation to support the development of education, science, culture, health and

sports in the Mainland
• The citizens in Hong Kong pay attention to development of educational, research, medical and
sport in the Mainland. They save no effort in donating money to improve the living
standards of the people in the Mainland and facilitating its social development.
• The generous donations made by Hong Kong entrepreneurs such as Henry Fok Ying-tung ,
Sir Run Run Shaw and Tin Ka-ping won the recognition of Mainland governments and
society .

C Supporting the poverty-alleviation work in poor areas of the Mainland

• Hong Kong voluntary organisations ：
Organisations such as Oxfam Hong Kong,
Sowers Action, Heifer Hong Kong have been
raising funds to support the poor families in the
Mainland and promoting the economic and social
development in the underdeveloped regions. For
example, Oxfam Hong Kong helps achieve
sustainable poverty alleviation by integrating
development projects.
• Hong Kong citizens: Respond actively to the fund-raising activities
of various voluntary organisations. Some even volunteer in the
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Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs
Mainland for poverty alleviation work.

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Modern Citizenship and Social Development Student’s Quick Revision Notes for Examination
Topic 2 Situation of the Country and Sense of National Identity

Synopsis of core content

Mutually beneficial relationship between Hong Kong and the country

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 Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs

A English - ChineseGlossary of Key Vocabulary

Chapter 4 Benefits and contributions of the HKSAR’s participation in national affairs
Mainland and Hong Kong 《內地與香港關於建立
Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) 更緊密經貿關係的安排》
offshore Renminbi centre 離岸人民幣業務樞紐
connectivity 互聯互通
State Key Laboratories 國家重點實驗室
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link 廣深港高速鐵路
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge 港珠澳大橋
one-hour living circle 一小時生活圈
Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to 內地高校招收香港
Mainland Higher Education Institutions 中學文憑考試學生計劃
Mainland/Hong Kong
《內地與香港特別行政區
Agreement on Closer Cultural Partnership
更緊密文化關係安排協議書》
Arrangement
hree express trains 三趟快車
Dongjiang water 東江水
Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant 大亞灣核電廠
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area 粵港澳大灣區
judicial assistance 司法互助
legal mediation 法律調解
interim measures of protection 保全
Sino-foreign equity joint venture 中外合營企業
early and pilot implementation 先行先試
liberalisation of trade in services 服務貿易自由化

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