Why Hong Kong still has the edge over inward-looking Singapore and washed-out London
C. P. Ho says Hong Kong has prospered under the unique ‘one country, two systems’ principle and, despite new challenges emerging lately, Beijing’s belt and road master plan holds many solutions for the incoming administration
Despite all that is said about Hong Kong going to the dogs, I still have high hopes for it, particularly when I compare it to London and Singapore. There was a time when London really excited me. Sadly, not so now. On a recent visit, I found it a bit drab and dreary – and not because of the proverbial rainy weather.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why I found it so. I had made a stopover in London to finish some business, and walked the Piccadilly mile to take in the shops and people. I had always found the mood vibrant and the pulse lively. Not this time. Perhaps it had to do with the Brexit blues and election hopes and fears.
Mainland China needs Hong Kong, for it knows this tiny piece of territory has the people, the talent and the professionalism
I sensed the mood to be solemn and sombre. Recalling the terrorist attacks, I could understand the pain and grief, but this was not stiff-upper-lip London any more. Nor fun or trend-setting London.
Gone were the flashes of creativity and inspiration that made it such a top-notch world city. The stage and theatre provide a fair barometer of this, but the shows were sadly lacking. Only the usual noises of a big city remained.
On the other hand, Singapore is still going strong and remains Hong Kong’s major economic and financial competitor in the region – and therein lies a mystery. I do not write this to disparage or cause offence, but when Singaporeans in Hong Kong or anywhere else are so friendly, helpful and amenable, how come their counterparts in Singapore can at times be so insufferable?
It leads me to think there are two breeds of Singaporeans. And the stay-at-home ones are not helping their nation. They are loud and underestimate their neighbours. But, in so doing, they unwittingly confer a blessing on Hong Kong, because they become inward-looking and do not plan as much for the future.
Hong Kong crowned world’s most competitive economy, beating Singapore
