Future comparative competitiveness under the same roof: A survey of self-evaluation from local and Mainland students in Hong Kong

Since the handover of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong has had to increasingly rely on Beijing to sustain its economic growth and to maintain its competitiveness in the global arena. The almost unconditional support offered by Beijing is given largely on the assumption that the Hong Kong special administrative region, by using its global connections, developed infrastructure, and quality human resources, can still make a unique contribution to China's current rise. For the immediate future, Hong Kong people undoubtedly have many attributes that are likely to help them remain more competitive than their mainland counterparts. However, confidence and self-perception in Hong Kong have become eroded in recent years. What might the implications be if Hong Kong's next generation, based on their personal interactions with the increasing number of mainland Chinese now studying and working in Hong Kong, no longer see themselves as possessing any convincing long-term advantages over their mainland classmates and colleagues? How can the comparative competitiveness of Hong Kong's youth, as they see it themselves and which can be quite different from the reality, be measured? How do both local and mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong universities assess their respective future competitiveness? And will the aforementioned changing perception affect the overall power structure between Hong Kong and Beijing within the "One Country, Two Systems" framework, resulting in the incrementally decreasing level of importance of Hong Kong as seen by Beijing? Copyright © 2012 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved.