Bulletin No. 2, 2021

Greater Expectations : CUHK's vision and action in the Greater Bay Area 15 our respective strengths so as to propel CUHK and CUHK (SZ) to the forefront of the global knowledge arena, as a single brand with two campuses.’ Being at the forefront of GBA developments does not mean the path ahead is smooth and sleek, however. Professor Tuan admitted that there are, in fact, challenges and obstacles that the University should take note of. ‘First off, given the apparent differences in the legal and administrative systems and culture of the nine municipalities in Guangdong Province and two Special Administrative Regions that comprise the GBA, precise coordination between different places is essential to turn the vision of regional connectivity into a practical reality.’ Then there is also the uncertainty in the possible domination of the Bay Area by one single city, which has inevitably happened in other successful bay area economies around the world, like the Tokyo Bay Area with the city of Tokyo as the core and the New York Bay Area propelled mainly by New York City. Will regions in the GBA fight to be the leader? ‘We do expect competition between cities. But I believe such competition is healthy by nature because the Central Government has been emphasizing “complementarity and sharing of resources” when drawing the GBA road map,’ Professor Tuan explained. No one should walk alone on the road to great success; after all, as a Chinese sayings goes: you cannot clap with one hand only. ‘The government, industry, academic and research sectors should work closely together to convey promising and ground-breaking achievements. With the collective action of different regions, I am confident that there is a bright future for the GBA up ahead.’ Looking back at what CUHK has achieved in the GBA so far, Professor Tuan said the increasing momentum of the participation of local institutions in the GBA was solid proof of our counterparts’ recognition of CUHK’s foresight and effort in spearheading education and innovation in the GBA. ‘We look forward to joining hands with administrative authorities, and education and business organizations in the mainland, to enhance the status of the GBA as a global hub for basic and applied research, and for innovation and entrepreneurship, in order to shape our country’s bright future together.’ Along its road to the GBA, CUHK has left solid and clear footprints one after another, taking every step towards realizing the dream of contributing to our country’s prosperity through knowledge and innovation and its ever improving future. Forging a bright future