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Shades Off | What kind of future awaits Hong Kong amid official apathy over exodus?
- Carrie Lam speaks of a prosperous future while the city faces a demographic emergency
- How does she plan to replenish a population declining by the thousands? And, if there are more opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, why would mainlanders come?
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Hong Kong has serious demographic problems, with an exceedingly low fertility rate and a fast-ageing population. High rents, cramped living conditions and rising costs have long discouraged people from having children, the proliferation of pet dogs in prams being a telltale sign of what is considered preferable and affordable.
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Packed check-in counters at the airport, with older generations tearfully saying farewell to sons, daughters and grandchildren beside piles of luggage, are therefore alarming.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s apparent nonchalance about the phenomenon is disturbing and raises inevitable questions about the commitment of the authorities to the city’s future.
Asked at a press briefing last week about the exodus, Lam said the government held no official position. “Every now and then in the history of Hong Kong, there are such immigration trends,” she said. “But if you really ask me to say something to those who are seeking to emigrate or have already emigrated, I would tell them Hong Kong has a prosperous future.”
She cited as reasons to stay the claimed opportunities afforded by the Greater Bay Area, China’s 14th five-year plan and Beijing’s imposition of the national security law and overhauling of the city’s electoral system to ensure it is governed only by “patriots”.
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Hong Kong faces expat exodus as appeal of international city wanes
Hong Kong faces expat exodus as appeal of international city wanes
Paradoxically, the supposed selling points she touted are precisely the reason some have decided to quit Hong Kong for good. They see their freedoms and opportunities being eroded by Beijing’s direct intervention in the city’s affairs or do not want their children being educated in a particular way.
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