Letters | Take heart from Hong Kong’s long history of bouncing back
- Readers discuss Hong Kong’s strong track record of getting back on its feet, the international media narrative around the city, and what to make of the divine guidance offered by the Che Kung Temple
It is true that US-China rivalry has “gone from bad to worse”. Roach’s view that Hong Kong is trapped in the crossfire assumes a bipolar world. However, we are living in a multipolar world, which encompasses more than just the United States and China.
The European Union, the Middle East and the Brics all have separate political agendas consisting of competition and cooperation.
A flexible and adaptable Hong Kong is exactly what the world needs and that is how the city could turn crisis into opportunity. Transformation and change are never easy, but a look at history will restore faith. Hong Kong is far from over.
Christophe Feuille, Bordeaux, France
International media narrative is wrong about Hong Kong
The reasons that led me to move to Hong Kong with my business in 2010 are substantially unchanged and the changes that have occurred have not worsened the overall picture which, if anything, shows broader horizons today. It is clear to any resident that the international media narrative around the city’s situation, starting from the 2019 protests, has not corresponded, not even remotely, to the reality that we have lived and still live every day.
The main and most damaging problem for the city after the pandemic has been, without a shadow of a doubt, the bad propaganda on the part of the Anglo-Saxon world which does not want to accept that Hong Kong is part of China and that it is not, and probably never will be, a Trojan horse triggering the implosion of the current form of government on the mainland.
In fact, the greatest criticism I can make of the city’s institutions was the lack of adequate communication abroad aimed at countering the distorted picture of Hong Kong that was projected around the world.
However, I am convinced that the truth always triumphs and that time and the resilience of ordinary people, even in the absence of adequate action by the institutions, will restore the image of Hong Kong.
Raimondo Romani, founder and CEO, Gelardini & Romani Wine Auction
Let mainland tourists trade cryptocurrencies
At the moment, Macau is doing well as it is focused on something that can’t be done on the mainland: gaming. Hong Kong has to find a new niche and the simple formula is to do something that can’t be done on the mainland. This is the formula that ensured the city’s prosperity for many years.
In international trade, Hong Kong could also play a more active role in distributing Russian products across Greater China, for example.
So just wait for spring, which is only weeks away. Hong Kong will find its rhythm again.
Khaw Wei Kang, Macau