Allan Zeman: ‘Hong Kong should promote itself like South Korea; young people should aim high’
Allan Zeman, the Hong Kong entrepreneur behind the Lan Kwai Fong dining and entertainment district, gives his answers to five key questions on the future of the city in an interview with the South China Morning Post
Do you think Hong Kong is still an ideal place to do business?
Hong Kong can always bounce back. The low tax rate, rule of law and press freedom are vital for Hong Kong to be an ideal place to do business.
The strength of China, which is now the world’s second-largest economy, is also what makes Hong Kong attractive to international investors, who use the city as a stepping stone to invest in China. If Hong Kong would become separate from the mainland, the city would die and lose all attractiveness to international investors.
How is your company coping with the economic downturn in Hong Kong and the mainland?
We continue to expand our business as a lifestyle and food and beverage brand in Hong Kong and the mainland. Besides Hong Kong, we have already expanded into Chengdu and Haikou in recent years. We are also planning to further expand in Shanghai and Wuxi. I am very positive the current economic downturn will end and the economy will bounce back.
Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
