China

Contemporary China

China’s ascendancy as a major world economy has drawn the world’s attention and shaken up the country’s social structures and its relationships with its neighbours and the rest of the world. Greater urbanisation and industrialisation, changing demographics, and the winnowing of social safety nets are some of the consequences that are ripe for research.

Scholars from the Faculties of Architecture, Arts, Business and Economics, Education, Law, and Social Sciences, as well as the Kadoorie Institute, are combining their interests to study the evolving landscape of contemporary China.

"We want to critically examine how the re-emergence of China as a major world economy has affected not only the regional and international economy and relationships, but also issues related to social development and social policy, urban governance and urban development when China is increasingly becoming a migrant society, and intergovernmental cooperation in the Greater Pearl River Delta region with deepening economic integration between Hong Kong and mainland China," said Professor A.G.O. Yeh of the Department of Urban Planning and Design. Professor Yeh is convenor of the Contemporary China research theme, and the deputy convenor is Professor K.H. Mok of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Research will be carried out in four main areas: the Greater Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Hong Kong (headed by Dr P.T.Y. Cheung, Department of Politics and Public Administration), urban and regional governance (headed by Professor G.C.S. Lin, Department of Geography), social policy and urban poverty (headed by Professor J.C.B. Leung, Department of Social Work and Social Administration), and China and the globalising world (headed by Professor Mok). Examples of projects are described below.

Changing demographics and social welfare needs

Rapid social, economic and demographic changes in Asia have put tremendous pressure on governments to reform their social welfare and social protection. Many Asian societies are getting older and better educated, have more women working and have been through financial upheaval such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

"People’s expectations have altered, but there has yet to be an examination of the situation from a regional perspective," Professor Mok said.

HKU researchers will try to bridge the gap by studying government policies and social welfare strategies in four key Asian cities: Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei. The plan is to interview key stakeholders and set up citizen focus groups in each of the four cities. The results are expected to contribute to the development of new models for social welfare in these rapidly developing societies, especially China.

Economic change and intergovernmental co-operation

Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997 was expected to pave the way for the emergence of a mega metropolis, comprising the PRD, Hong Kong and Macau. This has yet to crystallise due to such challenges as different social systems, difficulties in inter-jurisdictional co-operation and competition over foreign direct investment.

HKU researchers will investigate whether and how a mega metropolis can develop in the Greater PRD Region. "We will consider whether Hong Kong’s economic, logistical and transport links to the PRD and rest of China have helped it achieve its ambition as a world-class centre for finance, business and logistics," said Dr S.X. Zhao of the Department of Geography.

They will also look at whether intergovernmental co-operation, planning co-ordination and economic development have helped or hindered mega metropolis development. The findings should result in policy recommendations for leaders.

Social policy and urban poverty

China faces enormous challenges when it comes to social welfare. Its population is getting older and rapidly urbanised. This is putting enormous pressure on welfare schemes, which have become unable to meet demand on almost every front, including unemployment insurance, pensions and health care.

"People in urban areas are particularly affected because populations there are growing and urban poverty is on the rise," Professor Leung said.

Given these changes, scholars at HKU will study the quality of life of the poor in urban China, focusing on the unemployed, the sick and disabled, and elderly people. They also aim to evaluate the effectiveness of government policy and programmes in addressing the needs of the urban poor.

Urban governance

"City-regions" are a recent phenomenon in China in which cities expand their geographical and political boundaries to absorb suburban counties and become larger regions. The catalyst has been intensified market competition among China’s regional economies.

Guangzhou became the first city to adopt this strategy in 2000 and others quickly followed. "However, many questions about the reasons for establishing city-regions and their effectiveness still remain unanswered," Professor Lin said. "We will use statistical data and case studies to investigate the phenomenon."

It is hoped the results will provide insights into the nature of regional development in a transitional socialist economy and an empirical base for planning, management and policy-making.

The processing trade

The processing trade makes up 40–50 percent of China’s total trade and involves using imported materials to produce a final product for export. This sector faces major challenges from higher transport and labour costs, an appreciating Chinese currency and the global economic slowdown. How can policy-makers respond?

"We want to examine the factors affecting the processing trade and try to determine which types of enterprises could relocate, which ones might terminate their businesses and which could stay in place," said Professor L.D. Qiu of the School of Economics and Finance. The results should provide better information for establishing new economic policies and strategies.