Seeing Change,Living Change

By Tao Xing

Chan Ka-ying， or Nicole， lives with her cat in Shenzhen， a booming tech city in the south of Guangdong Province. Born in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region（HKSAR）， she is currently working in a stateowned enterprise after graduation from Peking University.

“I work as a policy analyst for the business in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area （GBA），” Chan told Beijing Review. “I plan to work here for a few years and then return to Hong Kong， where my family lives.”

“I hope more young adults like me can bring the development experience of the mainland back to Hong Kong，” Chan added.

A global player

“Hong Kong is still an international metropolis，”Chan said.

A report released by the International Monetary Fund on June 9 reaffirms Hong Kongs position as an international financial center featuring a resilient financial system.

The report acknowledges that Hong Kongs banking system holds assets equivalent to around 9.5 times the SARs GDP， while the assets under local banking institutions management amounted to 10 times the regional GDP in 2019. Hong Kongs stock exchange and life insurance sector are also amongst the worlds largest， and it boasts the largest foreign exchange swap market in Asia.

In the first quarter of 2021， the Hong Kong economy recovered visibly with real GDP resuming an appreciable year-on-year growth of 7.9 percent， led by the strong growth in exports of goods， according to the HKSAR Government.

Hong Kong has also contributed a lot to the mainlands development. “In the 1980s， Hong Kong manufacturers moved their manufacturing facilities to the mainland to lower labor costs. The move brought investment into the mainland and contributed to its economy，” Curtis Jung， a Canadian Chinese who has been living in Hong Kong for 28 years， told Beijing Review.

“On the other hand， Hong Kong has also benefited from the process. Its a win-win situation，” Jung added.

Born in Guangdong Province， Jung went to Canada at the age of 11 and later moved to Hong Kong in 1993. He now runs his own international trade and manufacturing business， which， headquartered in Hong Kong， operates across the mainland as well as Pakistan， Cambodia， Viet Nam and various African and South American countries and regions.

“The business environment in Hong Kong is of international standing， still，” he said.