What’s holding Hong Kong back from becoming a smarter city?

Despite pushing residents to embrace technology, officials have failed to show strong leadership and vision, critics say

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A merchant with a QR code payment system at a stall inside Po Tat Market in Sau Mau Ping. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 8:05am, 24 Feb 2018Updated: 8:20am, 24 Feb 2018

At a restaurant in the bustling Chinese city of Guangzhou, Adam Tsui Ho-wai holds up a queue as he fumbles with his wallet looking for cash to settle his bill. The cashier and fellow customers waiting to pay with their smartphones are clearly not impressed.

Many people living in the Guangdong provincial capital as well as other mainland metropolises such as Shenzhen and Shanghai are paying for almost everything with their smartphones. Even taxi drivers ask their passengers if they want to use mobile applications WeChat or Alipay. Fishing out coins and paper notes feels less welcome.

But in Hong Kong, where officials seek ways to craft a smarter lifestyle that is more digitally connected, residents are not yet reaching for their e-wallets.

A man considering his payment options outside a barber shop in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Photo: Martin Chan

“You don’t really need technology to survive in Hong Kong,” observes Tsui, 30, a translator based in the city who was born and raised on the mainland. “But it’s a totally different story across the border.”

Smart city blueprint

Tsui’s remarks stand in sharp contrast with those of local officials who in December last year released Smart City Blueprint, which maps out development plans for the next five years to make better use of technology. The aim is to turn the Asian finance hub into a world-class smart city.