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“Hong Kong is now jailing China’s baby formula smugglers” a headline reads for Vice magazine’s Motherboard tech website.
The Asia Sentinel writes: “Hong Kong’s baby formula brouhaha”.
From the way it looks, Hong Kong is taking extreme measures on something as mundane as baby formula. Just think how that sounds: criminal does hard time for smuggling milk powder.
In fact, the Asia Sentinel calls it “cognitive dissonance”, which seems fair as Hong Kong’s Tourism Board says, “Welcome” but city dwellers say, “Hong Kong people come first!”
The underlying issue is a worldwide worry that bulk buying by mainland Chinese will trigger a milk powder shortage. But China’s health minister, Chen Zhu, calls the smuggling a “temporary problem”, reports the Financial Times.
Still, a world map posted on Motherboard, taken from HKGolden, shows which countries have been affected by the “baby formula crisis”. They include Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Canada.
Parents in those countries who do fear a shortage have legitimate concerns, and Hong Kong’s two-can limit is not expected to be a long-term solution - but that doesn’t make the possible prison term for offenders sound any less silly.

Macau and Hong Kong downsized
The Macau Daily Times took note that China’s Premier Wen Jiabao spoke less about the affairs of Macau and Hong Kong in his work report at the start of the National People’s Congress meeting last week, a story the South China Morning Post also reported.
Macau’s NPC deputies said was an unusual arrangement for a premier serving his final year of term, the newspaper reported.
Some delegates were not surprised and said Wen was leaving room for his successor, Xi Jinping, to develop his own policies on Hong Kong and Macau.
“In this report, the last part is suggestion but not action. So do not expect the suggestions to be very long,” said Macau delgate Chui Sai-peng. “It has left space for the new government to take the steps they want.”

In photos


		The headline says it all.




		And the Daily Mail is astounded by Hong Kong’s BAMBOO scaffolding (those are the Mail's capitalised letters, not ours), posting a series of photos by Peter Steinhauer.


Other coverage


		Hong Kong clamps down on quirky property buys CNNMoney reports on government measures that would raise taxes and tighten mortgage requirements on specialised transactions, such as ones for parking spaces and roof decks.

		Hong Kong shark fin trade declines The BBC examines how anti-shark fin campaigns have hurt traders, reporting imports have dropped to 3,000 tonnes last year, from about 10,000 tonnes from 2006 to 2011.

		Thousands to head to Hong Kong for US examinations Mainland Chinese students will pay about HK$8,000 for study tour to Hong Kong in May to take the Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT, to try to get into an American university. 

		Vertu Ti goes on sale in Hong Kong as world’s most expensive Android smartphone

		Gallery recreated tiny living spaces Hong Kong artist Leung Chi-wo explores people’s “psychological and physical adaptations” to cramped living spaces in his exhibit in New York Jonathan & Muragashi, reports The Brooklyn Paper.



Milk powder curbs may be the epitome of cognitive dissonance

via HKGolden

Baby formula is repackaged at the Hong Kong-mainland China border. Photo: Felix Wong

Tourism Board boss tells CY 'mainland tourists welcome in HK'

A mainland visitor who spent HK$10,000 in three days in HK.

Bow to populism on milk powder

People repackage milk powders into smaller luggages outside Sheung Shui train station. Photo: Nora Tam

Wen devotes fewer words to Hong Kong, Macau at NPC

Wen stressed the importance of unity between Hong Kong and Macau and the mainland. Photo: Simon Song

Opinion

Blogs

Do extreme circumstances call for extreme solutions? That and parsing Wen Jiabao's words on Macau and Hong Kong


Do extreme circumstances call for extreme solutions? That and parsing Wen Jiabao's words on Macau and Hong Kong.


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

HK Eye

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}HK Eye | Milk powder curbs may be the epitome of cognitive dissonance

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Do extreme circumstances call for extreme solutions? That and parsing Wen Jiabao's words on Macau and Hong Kong

HK Eye | Milk powder curbs may be the epitome of cognitive dissonance

Do extreme circumstances call for extreme solutions? That and parsing Wen Jiabao's words on Macau and Hong Kong