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RESOURCE CENTER

Press Release

Press Conference of 2018 China Urban Competitiveness Report (Hong Kong)

2018.06.29

Organizer
The Better Hong Kong Foundation
Co-organizers
Center for City and Competitiveness, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Abstract
2018 China Urban Competitiveness Report

  Comprehensive Economic Competitiveness Index 2017 Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2017 Livability Competitiveness Index 2017
1 Shenzhen Hong Kong Hong Kong
2 Hong Kong Wuxi Beijing
3 Shanghai Hangzhou Shanghai
4 Taipei Guangzhou Shenzhen
5 Guangzhou Nantong Guangzhou
6 Beijing Nanjing Hangzhou
7 Tianjin Macao Nanjing
8 Suzhou Zhenjiang Wuhan
9 Nanjing Ningbo Macao
10 Wuhan Shenzhen Chengdu

Suggestions:
– Build Hong Kong a new-type global metropolitan
– Create the core function of “innovation + technology”
– Maximize the advantage of “One-country, Two-system” and share the huge dividend in country’s development
– Undertake the roles of strategic node and core hub in the Belt & Road Initiative
– Strive for the role of dragonhead of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area

(29 June 2018, Hong Kong) The Press Conference of 2018 China Urban Competitiveness Report (Hong Kong) is held in Hong Kong on 29 June 2018. It is organized by The Better Hong Kong Foundation and co-organized by Center for City and Competitiveness, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Ms. Karen Tang from The Better Hong Kong Foundation, Prof. Pengfei Ni from The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Prof. Jianfa Shen from The Chinese University of Hong Kong speak in the press conference on the new research results of the urban competitiveness of Chinese cities especially the urban competitiveness of Hong Kong. “The 2018 China Urban Competitiveness Report” project is led by Prof. Pengfei Ni. The theme of the 2018 Report is “40 years: Sparks of cities have spread to everywhere”, revealing the important function of cities in China’s opening and reforms, and analyzing the mechanism of successful development of Chinese cities in the past four decades.

The 2017 China urban competitiveness report continues to apply the existing theoretical framework. In this report, 294 cities are ranked by the Comprehensive Economic Competitiveness Index, while 289 cities are ranked by the Livability Competitiveness Index and the Sustainable Competitiveness Index.

According to the Comprehensive Economic Competitiveness Index in 2017, the top ten cities are Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Guangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin, Suzhou, Nanjing and Wuhan. They are all located in Pearl River Delta (PRD), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), Bohai Rim, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan area, except Wuhan in central China. This reflects the advantages of coastal area in development. The variation of ranking in the comprehensive growth sub-indices is significant among the top ten (Hong Kong is ranked 30th and Taipei 89th while others are among the top 10), while they have high ranking in the comprehensive efficiency sub-indices (all are among the top 20).

According to the Livability Competitiveness Index in 2017, the top ten cities are Hong Kong, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nantong, Nanjing, Macao, Xiamen, Zhenjiang, Ningbo and Shenzhen. The top ten list is different from the 2016 one, but cities in PRD, YRD and Hong Kong and Macao area are still leading the country. The top ten have a varied performance among the seven sub-indices. Four Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area (GBA) cities – Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macao and Shenzhen outperform other cities in certain sub-indices and each of them is ranked top 10 in two to four sub-indices. The ranking of the remaining six YRD cities in the sub-indices are more balanced.

According to the Sustainable Competitiveness Index in 2017, the top ten cities are Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Macao and Chengdu. This ranking shows that coastal cities will still be the pioneers in economic transformation of China in the foreseeable future, but individual cities in the central and western regions are also catching up quickly. Among the six sub-indices, the top ten are ranked high in the sub-indices of knowledge-based city competitiveness, cultural city competitiveness, urban-rural integrated city competitiveness, and info-city competitiveness. The variations of ranking in the sub-indices of harmonious city competitiveness and eco-city competitiveness are significant.

Hong Kong is ranked second in the Comprehensive Economic Competitiveness Index. The sub-index of overall efficiency competitiveness is 0.759, which is higher than the index in 2016 and ranked third after Macao and Taipei. The sub-index of overall incremental competitiveness is 0.268, which is lower than the index in 2016 and ranked 30th, down by 11 places from last year.

Hong Kong tops the Livability Competitiveness Index. Hong Kong’s high ranking in the sub-indices of high quality education environment, good medical environment, green and ecological environment, and active economic environment contributes greatly to the top ranking of the city. Compared to last year’s index, the rankings of the sub-indices of education environment and ecological environment remain unchanged. The rankings of infrastructure and social environment sub-indices are improved significantly and slightly respectively. Medical environment, living environment and economic environment sub-indices have experienced slight drop.

Hong Kong leads in Sustainable Competitiveness Index. Hong Kong is ranked first with the index of 1. Hong Kong’s economy maintains a good momentum of development in recent years. However, from a structural point of view, Hong Kong still faces major challenges in terms of technology innovation, industrial diversification and upgrading. The efforts of HKSAR Government in better supporting science and innovation – building a solid industrial foundation and policy environment – consolidate the leading role of Hong Kong in Sustainable Competitiveness Index.

Although Hong Kong is still a leader in these competitiveness indices, the city must be prepared in the context of the new global economy and city-cluster development in mainland China. Hong Kong should carry out industrial restructuring and build itself a new-type global metropolitan in order to adapt to the new environment and lead the urban transformation in the world. The report makes suggestions on the future development of Hong Kong in three aspects. (1) In terms of industrial development, Hong Kong should pay long-term emphasis on innovation and technology. While continuing the existing market systems and practices, Hong Kong should promote innovation and technology as a new engine of development, and create the core function of “innovation + technology”. (2) In terms of institutional advancement, on the basis of maintaining “One-country, Two-systems” and “a high degree of autonomy”, Hong Kong should foster economic integration with mainland cities through institutional innovation, and maximize the advantage of “One-country, Two-system” and share the huge dividend in country’s development. (3) In terms of spatial development, Hong Kong should embrace the Belt & Road Initiative and undertake the roles of strategic node and core hub in the Belt & Road Initiative. At the same time, Hong Kong should participate in the construction of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area. Hong Kong should encourage the further flows of factors of production and economic integration by making use of Hong Kong’s advantages, and strive for the role of dragonhead of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.

Concluding the press conference, Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation commented that “I am glad to find that Hong Kong keeps its high competitiveness for a long period of time. It is the result of concerted efforts by all sectors of the community and also the appropriate integration of economic, social and environmental development. In the context of global economic uncertainty, rapid development and transformation of the country and GBA that are posting both challenges and opportunities to Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s spirit of being positive and dare to change do matter in making responses. Hong Kong should make good use of its advantages and grasp opportunities arising from science & innovation, the Belt & Road Initiative and GBA, in order to achieve sustainable development and strengthen its urban competitiveness.”

For enquiries, please contact Ms Jimmie Chow, Communications Manager of the Foundation at Tel: (852) 2865 3529 / 6030 6025 or email: jimmie_chow@betterhongkong.org. Website: www.betterhongkong.org.

Please click here to download the PPT for the press conference (Chinese only).