Hong Kong has suggested that Beijing allows residents of the neighboring southern Chinese boomtown Shenzhen to travel freely to Hong Kong amid efforts to attract qualified immigrants, a newspaper reported yesterday.
Although Britain handed Hong Kong back to Chinese rule in 1997, Chinese citizens need special permission to visit this financial center. Hong Kong residents can travel freely to the mainland.
The South China Morning Post, citing an unidentified government representative, reported yesterday that the Hong Kong government has suggested Bei-jing loosen such restrictions for residents of Shenzhen, one of China's most economically advanced cities.
The report said the government wants to use the measure to attract top talent from Shenzhen to eventually settle in Hong Kong.
The newspaper quoted Le Zheng, director of the Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences, as estimating that 300,000 Shenzhen residents will frequently visit Hong Kong if the proposed changes are approved.
The Hong Kong government declined to confirm the report, but said in a statement it will consider local views on the matter and assess the impact of existing Chinese tourism on Hong Kong.
Mainland Chinese immigration is a sensitive issue in Hong Kong, which is more developed and wealthier than the mainland.
The proposed measures will likely raise concerns over whether new Chinese immigration will overwhelm Hong Kong's resources. The practice of mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong so that their children can obtain local residency has drawn concern in the past.
The plan to liberalize travel for Shenzhen residents is part of Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang's (曾蔭權) strategy to boost Hong Kong's work force amid high life expectancy and low fertility rates.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Tsang indicated that he wants to increase Hong Kong's population.
"I do believe that we have the fundamentals like New York and London to create a global financial center and a reasonably good living for 10 million people here at the end of the day. We're at seven. I think we can do well for 10 ... in the long term," he said.
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