Toward collaborative governance between Hong Kong and Mainland China

• Published in: Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 52; no. 10; pp. 1915 - 1933
• Main Author: Cheung, Peter TY
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Sage Publications, Ltd 01-08-2015; SAGE Publications; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: China; Collaboration; Cooperation; Economic cooperation; Economics; Environmental conditions; Governance; Hong Kong; Leadership; Liberalization; Trade agreements; Trade liberalization; Urban studies; Hong Kong China; Guangdong China; China; collaborative governance; economic cooperation; Hong Kong; China; intergovernmental cooperation
• ISSN: 0042-0980; 1360-063X
• DOI: 10.1177/0042098014548139

Economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland China, especially Guangdong province, has flourished since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997. The landmark is the conclusion of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and the Mainland in 2003. CEPA covers liberalisation of trade in goods, liberalisation of trade in services, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and other trade facilitation measures. This paper uses the collaborative governance regime framework to analyse the economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland China under CEPA. This case shows that if there are environmental conditions generating incentives for both parties to cooperate, a committed leadership on both sides to drive the regime, and institutional arrangements that could facilitate the collaborative dynamics, effective collaboration between players from different political and institutional backgrounds can still be achieved.