In April 2010, the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation was signed between the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Guangdong Provincial Government, indicative of speeding up of co-operation between the two places. Earlier this year, the SAR Government has launched its public consultation on the Action Plan for the Bay Area of the Pearl River Estuary, resulting in avalanche of adverse comments. Hong Kong was mocked as “being planned”.
To follow up, the SAR Government recently put forward another public consultation, focusing on Regional Co-operation Plan on Building a Quality Living Area. It is supposed that the Government should have learnt from the failing experience arising from the previous consultation, therefore coming up with substantial improvement in arrangements of the consultation process as well as the consultation document itself. Unfortunately, the Government paid no sincerity to conduct serious public consultation. Even worse, the SAR Government, in the course of the negotiation leading to various agreements between Hong Kong and Guangdong Government, seems to be at disposal of the latter’s strong and aggressive attitude.