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Macroscope | Super-connector brands like Cathay Pacific and Lee Kum Kee are Hong Kong’s superpower
- Trusted and loved companies that tell a piece of the Hong Kong story are vital to the city’s comeback. It’s time to focus on a soft power strategy
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Why you can trust SCMP
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As Hong Kong retakes its place on the global business and cultural stage, a special group of companies will be uniquely important to our continued progress. These are the corporations whose products or services play a vital role in connecting Hong Kong with the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
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The most obvious is Cathay Pacific Airways, arguably our largest cultural connector and global ambassador for Brand Hong Kong. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing is one of the world’s leading exchange groups. The MTR Corporation builds and runs world-class transport systems locally and around the globe. Broadcaster TVB connects Hong Kong to the world with its local artists akin to frontline ambassadors.
Other local corporate “diplomats”, or “brands of legends” as I term them, span every facet of business. These include oyster sauce king Lee Kum Kee, soy milk brand Vitasoy, White Flower oil maker Pak Fah Yeow and toy manufacturer VTech.
Their common denominator? These are all companies telling a piece of the Hong Kong story and are trusted or loved (sometimes both) by millions. They are part of Hong Kong’s DNA.
Why are these companies even more important to Hong Kong now? Because we have lost time, reputation and appeal, largely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the most recent Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index, Hong Kong had fallen to 62nd place last year from 49th in 2021.
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Our city must now catch up and regain momentum. Our hardware is world-class: we have built brilliant and efficient infrastructure for residents and visitors alike. The same is true of our talent: our people have dynamism and energy like nowhere else.
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