A senior Beijing official with the rank of Vice Premier or above should be appointed to coordinate a development strategy for a city cluster, including Hong Kong and Macao, in southern China following a key reshuffle of the Communist Party’s leadership, scholars have said. The 19th Party Congress is likely to discuss a more detailed plan to develop a cluster of 11 cities in the Pearl River Delta, known as the “Greater Bay Area”, and the appointment of a powerful leader to oversee the initiative and prevent protectionism by individual cities.

“If you want to have efficient coordination between cities and to implement some special policies, a higher level committee needs to be set up, with supervision of a higher ranking official, preferably Vice Premier or above,” Regina Ip, Executive Councillor to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive said. Her suggestion is echoed by scholars in Hong Kong and mainland China, as well as business leaders.
“Integrating the Greater Bay Area has been a sensitive plan, because it is also seen as a political mission,” Ding Li, Professor at the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, said.

The formula of “one country, two systems” implemented in Hong Kong and Macao only promises 50 years of unchanged economic and political systems, which expires in 2047. “But the problem is how important the Greater Bay Area development plan is to the central government. We will have a clearer picture after the 19th Party Congress,” he added.

The regional development was mentioned in the address during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hong Kong in June and the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang in March. The area is also expected to act as a powerhouse for Xi Jinping’s flagship “Belt and Road Initiative”, the South China Morning Post reports.