The View | Immigration is good for business, not a burden, in Hong Kong and the rest of the world

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor may well have political reasons for extolling the contribution of immigrants to Hong Kong society but it makes a change from the routine immigrant bashing that is high on the political agenda elsewhere in the world.

Lam, however, only addressed the issue of immigrants coming to Hong Kong under the daily quota system designed to facilitate family reunions but managed some passing reference to the obvious fact that Hong Kong is an “immigrant society”. Indeed, this city owes much of its dynamism to this self-selecting group of people who upped sticks to escape Communist rule, but there’s an embarrassing political message in that particular narrative.

Aside from this, the government has shown limited interest in immigration policy outside the technology sector, despite the fact that imported labour makes a major contribution in industries ranging from tourism to health care and food and drink, all of which are big contributors to the economy.

At least Hong Kong politicians have been less inclined to sign up for the anti-immigrant demagoguery that is dominating the political debate in countries such as the United States that were built on immigration. In a number of other places where immigrants have made incredible contributions to society, they are now being demonised.

The range of these countries is breathtaking, from South Africa, where there is a backlash against immigration from elsewhere in Africa, to Sweden and the Netherlands, traditionally regarded as open-minded on this issue, and Germany where the immigration debate threatens to bring down Chancellor Angela Merkel, arguably Europe’s most successful leader.