Border management and growth coalitions in the Hong Kong transborder region

Abstract

The integration of Hong Kong with proximate parts of China since 1979 has played a major part in one of the most influential spurts of wealth creation in history, but the proliferation of projects to tap large complementarities have not been matched by the creation of innovative institutions to foster cooperation. This article argues that patterns of cross-border cooperation and conflict can be better understood by considering the influence of growth coalitions with heavy real estate investments in Hong Kong, which are threatened by the risk of price convergence between the Hong Kong and mainland China sides of the border. We examine the impact of these growth coalitions through case studies of debates about border liberalization and proposals for integrative infrastructural projects. We suggest that border studies would benefit from paying more attention to the influence of real estate interests, given the fixity of their investments compared to other more mobile resources and agents.