• Tweeter

  • republish

Aerial view of Shenzhen Harbor (photo illustration). Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 Gigel.atat

Faced with the success of the pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong on Sunday, August 18, China draws the economic weapon. A Chinese government directive issued on Sunday aims to make the city of Shenzhen, located opposite Hong Kong, the showcase of " Chinese-style socialism ".

With our correspondent in Beijing , Stéphane Lagarde

One country two systems, but in the end it is socialism with Chinese characteristics that wins. According to the document published on Monday by the official media, in 2035, Shenzhen will be in the " first place in the world " in terms of competitiveness and attractiveness of companies. For this, the small fishing village of southern China chosen by Deng Xiaoping 40 years ago to become the showcase of red capitalism will have to strengthen its port infrastructure . A call for tenders will be launched at the end of August for a project covering an area of ​​400,000 m².

It will also strengthen the capacity for industrial innovation and put in place a plan to attract " foreign talent " and " international entrepreneurs with permanent residence, to create scientific and technological enterprises. "

A warning for Hong Kong

This directive, adopted last July at the 9th meeting of the Central Committee for Deepening and Reform, is therefore published the day of the mass mobilization of Hong Kong protesters , and this is perhaps not a coincidence.

The financial center of Hong Kong is not irreplaceable, seems to say the Chinese press which recalls that the special administrative region represents only 3% of the GDP of the second largest economy in the world. By forgetting to say that Shenzhen and its 12 million people also face difficulties related to the slowdown in Chinese growth.

►To read also: Chinese foreign trade at half mast

The trade war with the United States has come into conflict with the " Made in China 2025 " strategy initiated by the Chinese government and some projects launched in the former world workshop of the southern province of Guangdong. According to sources close to the case cited by the South China Morning Post Sunday, the start of the new Foxconn plant in Canton could be delayed.