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The truth is that China is both Hong Kong's greatest asset and its
greatest liability. This was true historically. It remains true today.
There is a danger that the economic integration of Hong Kong and China may
proceed so rapidly that it is easy to lose sight of the importance of
maintaining Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region with its own
distinct political, legal and economic systems. Some euphoric
businessmen are talking about such mind-boggling proposals as increasing
the size of Hong Kong by incorporating into it the Shenzhen special
economic zone. The danger of this kind of thinking is that Hong Kong may
become, not a Special Administrative Region with a high degree of
autonomy, but merely another one of China's special economic zones, like
Shenzhen. There is also the danger of losing sight of the Joint
Declaration. If the border between Hong Kong and China were to vanish in
1997, the upshot may not be a lifting of all curbs on Hong Kong economic
influence in China, but the lifting of all restrictions on Chinese
influence in Hong Kong.
The current rise in violent crime, in which mainland criminals armed with
Chinese-made AK47 assault rifles and grenades have carried out a spate of
daring robberies and escaped across the border out of reach of Hong Kong
law enforcement agencies, is a reminder of the dangers of relaxing further
Hong Kong's already porous border for economic reasons. Car thefts and
smuggling, which have also become a major problem, would become harder to
control.
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