By Zheng Qi from People’s Daily
“Stability is the foundation of economic development just as rule of law is the foundation of civil society. Instability in Hong Kong, like instability anywhere, retards economic growth.” Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn told People’s Daily.
The China expert continued to stress that “it is understandable that leading Hong Kong entrepreneurs have criticized the violence, which directly impacts the value of their assets, especially real estate. Some wonder why it took them so long.”
Dr. Kuhn is an American public intellectual, international corporate strategist and investment banker. Over the past decades, he had put his focus on China and has been a media commentator on China’s politics and economy.
Dr. Kuhn didn’t hide his disagreement with the current claims by some in the West that China’s Central Government is trying to control Hong Kong in a more repressive way.
“Those who claim that China’s central government seeks to control Hong Kong in a more repressive way betray their lack of understanding of China. Hong Kong’s role has been a vital portal for multinational corporations to do business in China, building China’s economy, strengthening China’s technology. Why would China want to jeopardize that?”He noted.
In a recent article, shared by himself to People’s Daily, Dr. Kuhn wrote that “looking forward, Hong Kong is China and will remain China.” He also stressed that he continues to believe that “the Central Government seeks the best for Hong Kong, stressing social stability, essential for economic development, and rule of law, essential for social development.”
Over the past few days, some political voice in Washington has been asking for linking the current situation in Hong Kong to the US-China trade negotiations and using Hong Kong as leverage to pressure compromise from China.
“Any who would link the Hong Kong issue with US-China trade negotiations badly misreads the Chinese government and the sensitivities of a large majority of the Chinese people. Such ‘bargaining’, in essence using Hong Kong as a ‘trading chip’, would be a gross insult to the Hong Kong people.” Dr. Kuhn said.
As he viewed it, Hong Kong’s economic future is almost totally related to its integration with the mainland, especially the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, a grand vision of regional coordinated development.
“The Greater Bay Area gross domestic product is around $1.7 trillion, 12 percent of China’s GDP, and is projected to reach around $3.5 trillion by 2030. If the Greater Bay Area were a country, its GDP would rank almost in the world’s top 10.” Dr. Kuhn added.
