Once an international metropolitan city, Hong Kong no longer holds the same status to the Chinese Communist Party, a new Chinese report finds.

Conducted by China Development Research Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the “Chinese Cities of Opportunities 2020” research report shows that Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have surpassed Hong Kong as first-tier cities in China, taking the top places in the comprehensive ranking of Chinese cities.

Hong Kong is now ranked at 9, behind Chengdu in the Sichuan province, Nanjing in Jiangsu, Hangzhou in Zhejiang and Wuhan in Hubei. Among the top ten cities, Hong Kong is ranked only above Zhengzhou in Henan.

Thomas Yuen, Assistant Professor of Department of Economics and Finance at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, said Hong Kong lacks in financial innovation and infrastructure development alongside a global competition for talent, compared to mainland Chinese cities.

He worried that Hong Kong’s ranking would slide further next year and be ousted from top ten cities in China, given its slow economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the report, Hong Kong fails to enter top five in multiple indicators, including “intellectual capital and innovation”, “technology maturity”, “transportation and urban planning”, “sustainable development and natural environment”, “culture and quality of life”.

The former British colony is ranked the fourth in terms of “major regional cities”, behind Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing and secured the top place in “urban resilience”, which is included as an indicator for the first time.

Citing the recent dispute over the separation of powers, which casts doubts on the city’s judicial system, Yuen added that the ongoing political and social turmoil has continued to affect the city’s economic recovery.

He believed Hong Kong came first in resilience because of its adoption of capitalism and small geographic size, hence better flexibility compared to Chinese cities, which take orders directly from the central government in terms of medical, public health and labor protection policies.

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