As a proud Hong Kong citizen I was saddened to learn that The Economist had demoted the SAR from being the best place in the world in which to do business to the 12th-best place. Such a ranking system is always arbitrary. However, we should be concerned that Hong Kong is becoming a less favourable place for conducting business, in the eyes of international analysts like The Economist. My job requires me to travel around the region. I have not compiled data like The Economist, but I have no difficulty in drawing the same conclusions. The Chief Executive and his officials, political parties and Legislative Councillors should be asking why Hong Kong is becoming less attractive to foreign investors. After the handover, people in Hong Kong became very focused, or reliant, on the mainland, on its resources and its support. If we want to maintain Hong Kong as an international city in the long term, we must keep our eyes on the global market and on international investments. If the SAR cannot keep attracting international investors, we will soon lose our competitiveness. And we will not just lose out to Singapore, but also to Shanghai and other mainland coastal cities. GRACE WONG Pokfulam
