Hong Kong electoral authorities plan to include a new innovation hub near the border with mainland China in an existing constituency in the New Territories for the coming legislative poll, despite no one living there.
The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) on Friday revealed its proposal to integrate the Hong Kong part of the Hetao cooperation zone, which is located on both sides of the Shenzhen River and co-developed with mainland authorities, into the city’s electoral map.
The move was announced about seven months ahead of the Legislative Council election, which is set to be held on December 7.
Although the current population projection for the zone as of mid-2025 is zero, the commission proposed including the area in the Lok Ma Chau Loop to tie in with its development, a consultation paper on constituency boundaries said.
“[We] are seeing substantial development in the loop and the first three buildings of the loop district will become functional soon,” commission chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong said.
“The EAC sees that it will be an appropriate moment to include the loop in the present exercise. We see that the timing is right.”
