Competitiveness needed to face Hengqin’s challenges

THE huge Hengqin Island project could be the answer to the constant vows for the region’s economic diversification, but local entrepreneurs must play an active role if they wish to “catch the bus”, avoiding being dangerously overtaken by their Hong Kong and Guangzhou neighbors. Needless to say, the project is of paramount importance to all the region and could serve as a way to channel part of the large incomes generated by local casinos and the related tourism.
The Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam is well aware of that. In the 2013 Policy Address he said the Hengqin new development zone will play a supplementary role to Macau by accommodating as many as 10 million visitors out of the 40 million expected in the region. In parallel he added that Nansha port (not located in Hengqin) will be the new port for the cruises packed with tourists headed for Macau. 
Maybe some locals are still unaware of what’s being built so near us. Although the construction works are already visible from Macau, most residents so far have never visited the barren and mountainous island. Besides some historians’ claims that the island was part of Macau territory, the only interest a visit could ever hold was to see how Macau looked from the other side, or to eat in the rustic oyster shacks.
That is changing fast.  Located at the heart of the Pearl River Delta, Hengqin - an island that’s roughly three times the size of Macau - is being transformed into a metropolis whose dimensions greatly surpass the new Macau University campus that will fall under the MSAR’s jurisdiction. The plans include areas focused on the creative industries and science and research, as well as leisure spaces (such as theme parks and an oceanarium) and residences. In the financial business district, a high-rise much taller than the Macau Tower will be built.
This project is certain to attract businessmen from mainland China, Hong Kong and abroad. But what’s Macau’s participation in it? The first signs show a lack of dynamics and even coordination between Macau and entities with management responsibilities in Hengqin, like the Zhuhai Land and House Property Exchange Centre. On Tuesday, the center announced the auction of a 30,000 square meter-plus plot east of the Hengqin Border Terminal. The parcel will be leased for 40 years for commercial use and the bid is only open to Macau companies or to subsidiaries in mainland China wholly owned by Macau companies.
Following this announcement, the newspaper Hoje Macau contacted the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation Between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries in order to find out more details about the auction. Both entities said they were not aware of it and an unnamed IPIM advisor was quoted saying that “it was expected that the Zhuhai authorities should have contacted the Macau authorities” before they made the announcement. Later that day IPIM, who advises businessmen on investment prospects, gave a more formal and politically correct answer, saying that it maintains “close contacts with the Hengqin New Area Committee” and that a catalog with investment opportunities with preferred access to Macau would be published shortly.
Let’s hope that the coordination between Macau and Hengqin is being effectively carried out. The architect Carlos Marreiros, who has visited the island many times to get a grip on its development, told the Times in a recently-published interview that it seems to him, “there isn’t a sense of competitiveness to face others” amongst the local businessmen. “Hengqin enjoys a relevant geopolitical positioning. Hong Kong has expanded to nearby Tongkou. Nansha is a bit farther but it’s an area in demand… So, will Macau’s future be in these areas? Partly yes, but Macau needs to have guts and talent, and we are delaying too much,” he added.
(in MDT)