Fears of More Mainland Control Over Hong Kong, Macao Through New Digital Plan

Beijing’s “Digital Bay Area” emphasizes the “deep integration of social governance.”

A general view shows the harbor-front West Kowloon train station (L) in Hong Kong of the High Speed Rail Link to Guangzhou in China’s Guangdong Province, and the skyline of Hong Kong Island (back) on Sept. 21, 2018. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

Beijing’s promotion of the “Digital Bay Area” to unify identity verification for Hong Kong and Macao residents with mainland China has sparked widespread concern.

The Guangdong provincial authorities issued a three-year action plan on Nov. 21 for building the “Digital Bay Area.” The plan states that administrative services across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao will be integrated before 2025.