One of the more visible signs of the global economic slowdown's impact on Hong Kong is to be found at the city's container terminals.
While ships continue to sail into Victoria Harbour in droves that would make most other ports in the world green with envy, the vast plains on western Kowloon reclaimed land are decidedly less full and less bustling than a year ago.
Any traveller is able to make this casual observation from a car window as they glide to or from the city's new airport.
But it is also borne out in official figures.
For much of this year, Hong Kong's export trade has been falling dramatically - with double-figure percentage drops each month - and the momentum does not appear to be slowing.
Even the most recent statistics released last month, showing that exports had declined in August at a less dramatic rate than the previous month, deluded no one into thinking Hong Kong had hit the bottom and was set to turn around.
