The Chinese government recently issued a policy paper outlining a plan to make the city of Shenzhen, just a 30-minute train ride from Hong Kong, into a leading global metropolis that would be attractive to international business and a model of stable prosperity. 

The timing of the document’s release, which took place as anti-government protests continue to disrupt life in Hong Kong, was seen as a not-so-subtle message to the residents of Hong Kong that they should promptly halt the political unrest. And while few observers believe that Shenzhen threatens to usurp Hong Kong’s importance in the world of international business—at least in the near term—the document’s release spurred discussion about Shenzhen’s possible rise as an international financial center that one day will compete with Hong Kong.