John Lee: Hong Kong leader vows to shore up global business role

The previous British colony’s name as an international fiscal center has been battered through the very last two years by its adherence to China’s unbending Covid limits. They have made the town less appealing for expats and substantially harder for international executives to go to.

That tracked with a comparable report from the American Chamber of Commerce in January, which located that 44% of expats and companies were probable to go away the town.

“Hong Kong nonetheless retains small business options but an array of concerns, specially draconian vacation constraints and worsening US-China relations, weigh on sentiment,” the US report said.

Hong Kong’s quarantine principles are notorious among people and expats. At one level, the federal government needed most inbound tourists to isolate in lodge rooms, on their own dime, for 3 months, 1 of the world’s longest isolation periods.

While Hong Kong officers have lifted flight bans and scaled back the quarantine demands, an outflow of talent is currently actively playing out.

Even with no the Covid crisis, headhunters had been owning problems bringing expertise to Hong Kong since of Beijing’s expanding oversight of the semi-autonomous territory.

Xi, in his speech at Lee’s inauguration ceremony on Friday, explained Beijing would “fully aid Hong Kong” in “consolidating its standing as an international economic, delivery and trade heart” and “maintaining a free of charge, open and controlled business atmosphere.”

“We will develop emerging industries, and construct Hong Kong into an international innovation heart,” Lee said.

Through his speech, Lee extolled China’s Belt and Street and Greater Bay Area initiatives, which he claimed have supplied Hong Kong “limitless prospects and unrestricted enhancement place.”

— Alex Stambaugh, Charlie Fong, and Allison Morrow contributed to this report.