Hitching a ride on the PRD Express
"Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta have their own respective strengths. They should be able to complement each other in many aspects," said President H K Chang, who led the delegation. "Collaboration between the two will definitely be beneficial to the development of both and China as a whole."
The delegation was excited and encouraged by the trip, hectic though it had been. Some observed that the development of the PRD has been extremely rapid, possibly even more so than that of Hong Kong. Vice-President for Business and Finance, Mr James Ng, said: "The PRD seems to be more capable than Hong Kong of adjusting to the changes brought about by globalization. Their leaders are also very knowledgeable of what is demanded of them by the world and the times, and they are people of action. A university can be built very quickly, unlike in Hong Kong where talks alone can drag on for years."
For Professor P S Chung, Vice-President for Research, the trip vindicated his own beliefs about the significance of the PRD region. "This trip reinforced my belief that our policy to set up beach-heads in Shenzhen and Zhuhai is the right one," he said.