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■本港西九工程一拖再拖，謝卓飛去年底以健康理由辭去西九文化區管理局行政總裁後，將由國際知名度更高的Michael Lynch填補行政總裁一職，7月25日履新。 資料圖片
中國社科院上月發布一年一度的《中國城市競爭力藍皮書》，香港競爭力雖然連續第6年位居榜首，但發展面臨多個問題，包括產業轉型緩慢及競爭力領先優勢加快縮小等。社科院今年明確指出香港單靠金融業、科技及基建發展停滯不前，以及貧富差距擴大等發展短板，更直接建議香港要加強科技創新，成立科技發展局，改變簡單的「大市場、小政府」理念，重新定位政府與市場之間的邊界。
本港的高鐵、港珠澳大橋和西九等重大工程一拖再拖，科技創新乏善可陳，產業升級停滯不前，原因固然很多，而特區政府的角色至為關鍵。例如，科技創新需要政府在資金、稅務和土地等政策作出配套扶持，但是本港在科研所投入的資源，只佔本地生產總值0.6%，遜於內地的1.4%，更遠落後於新加坡和美國。第三屆特區政府調整部門架構時，更刪除了原有的「工商科技局」，以「商務及經濟發展局」取而代之，被業界形容為「香港科技失蹤了」。
如今國家發展一日千里，內地不少城市在人口和土地規模都較香港有明顯優勢。本屆政府雖然任期僅餘一年多，但絕不能當「看守政府」，應在力所能及的範圍內，加快跨境基建進度，大力推動科技創新，創造有利條件發展六大產業，為實現香港的產業升級作出應有貢獻。
Alarm bell rings again in Hong Kong as competitiveness weakens
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published its annual Blue Book on Urban Competitiveness in China last month. Although Hong Kong still topped the list as the most competitive city for 6 consecutive years, the report highlighted problems, such as slow transformation of industries and increasingly shrinking competitive edge, faced by Hong Kong in its development. This year, the academy specifically pointed out the setbacks which have hindered the growth of Hong Kong. These include the sole reliance on the financial industry, stalled development in technology and infrastructure, and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. The academy was also forthright in suggesting that Hong Kong should emphasize more on technological innovation, establish a technology development authority, and draw a new demarcation between the government and the market by making amendment to the simplistic notion of “big market, small government”.
Major projects in Hong Kong, for example, the high speed railway, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the West Kowloon Cultural Centre, are repeatedly delayed. Technological innovation sees no real progress and upgrading of industries is stalled. Of course, there are many reasons to all these problems but the role of the SAR government is the most crucial. Technological innovation, for instance, requires supportive policies from the government in terms of financial assistance, tax allowances and land use. Unfortunately, the resources allocated to scientific research accounted for only 0.6% of the GDP in Hong Kong, a figure which was lower than the 1.4% on the mainland and much behind those of Singapore and USA. Furthermore, the then Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau was dissolved by the third SAR government during the process of restructuring and was replaced by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau. As people described, it signified “the disappearance of technology in Hong Kong”.
Today China develops at a very high speed and a number of cities on the mainland have obvious advantages over Hong Kong in terms of population size and land area. Although the incumbent government of Hong Kong has barely more than a year to go in its term of office, it must not be just a caretaker government. Instead, it should, within its scope of authority, speed up cross-border infrastructure projects, vigorously promote technological innovations, create favorable conditions for the development of the Six industries, and so make responsible contributions to the actualization of the upgrading of local industries. ■Translation by 開明 chi.ming818@gmail.com
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