Hong Kong, city of trade, must not crack down on infant formula traders
Andrew Work says by trying to stop parallel traders making an honest living, Hong Kong is trampling on the work ethic that makes it great
Hong Kong became a great city after millions of mainland refugees came here to trade. Entrepreneurship brought goods to billions of people. First, goods made here and, later, goods made in mainland China; Hong Kong's tradition as a centre of exchange made the world a better place.
The tradition continues, as can be seen in the volume of trade through our airports, ports and cross-border trucking industry. We count the benefits in dollar trade volumes and jobs created. Less often tallied are benefits to the global population who get the goods they want at prices they can afford, thanks to our link in the trade chain.
With no natural resources of our own, everything Hong Kong has comes from elsewhere: food and water from the mainland; wheat from Canada; soya beans from Brazil and baby milk powder from the Netherlands and New Zealand, among other sources.
The owner-producers of these products send them to Hong Kong on the basis of our willingness to pay for them. And some people buy the goods to resell them - at a profit.
In the case of infant formula, people have forgotten every part of this virtuous chain. They waylay honourable traders making an honest living.
Our government is creating a bureaucracy and ramping up spending to criminalise the simple act of trading that made this city great. Bernard Lee Kwan-kit, vice-chairman of the Association of Customs and Excise Service Officers, said extra manpower, space and facilities such as X-ray machines would be needed to enforce proposed restrictions on buying infant formula. What next? Full body searches?