Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Foreign ministry rejects survey’s focus on more Americans wanting to leave Hong Kong

Foreign ministry rejects survey’s focus on more Americans wanting to leave Hong Kong

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says it is a positive sign that 58 per cent of 325 respondents are planning to stay in the city.

China’s foreign ministry has rejected the focus of a recent survey that found an increasing number of members of an influential American business group were considering leaving Hong Kong, saying it was a positive sign that more than half of those polled actually wanted to stay.

In the daily press briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying took issue with the spotlight on the survey’s finding that 42 per cent of respondents were inclined to leave the city, with most citing the Beijing-imposed national security law as the driving factor.

She pointed to the 58 per cent of the 325 respondents still planning to stay in Hong Kong, most of whom also cited the city’s good quality of life.

“The number of respondents accounted for a quarter of the chamber’s total [membership]; if the survey was expanded, there could be more in favour of the positive reason,” she said.

Hua also cited Hong Kong commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah’s response that the number of companies setting up regional headquarters or offices in the city remained steady, at more than 9,000.

“Many overseas companies which want to foray into the mainland China market regard Hong Kong as a good destination for investments,” Hua said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.


Between May 5 and 9, the 1,400-member American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) conducted a survey after its president Tara Joseph said she had come across multiple queries on whether expatriates were planning to leave the city following the 2019 social unrest, the imposition of the national security law, the looming electoral reforms and Covid-19 quarantine measures.

Although most of those polled indicated their intention to stay, the findings showed a larger number of people were considering leaving the city than before.

The number of respondents saying they were inclined to leave also rose substantially, from just more than 80 in a similar poll conducted in August last year, to nearly 140 now.

Nearly two-thirds of those planning to leave raised concerns about the security law which criminalises acts of succession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

The legislation took effect on June 30 last year.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau.


“It has plugged the loophole in national security, and the city has restored stability in the past year while the financial market has been operating in an orderly manner,” Hua said. “This has made the investment regime even better.”

She added that a recent white paper by AmCham’s division on the mainland showed two-thirds of American enterprises intended to invest further in the country.

“This is the uniqueness of what we have seen in Hong Kong – the ‘one country, two systems’ governing principle has helped cement the city’s position as a global financial, aviation and trade hub,” she said. “The Greater Bay Area will undoubtedly add fuel to the city’s economic development.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×