The newly designed banknotes from HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank of China are a missed opportunity in promoting Hong Kong as the leading financial centre of China and Asia for the 21st century ('Notes promise to short-change the counterfeiters', September 4).
Standard Chartered does an emotional grab of history with images of Hong Kong in 1930 and 1970, while HSBC and Bank of China compete with each other in how to make our bridge and airport look unattractive.
When the new 10-dollar banknote came out last year, it freed the design of banknotes from the confines of Hong Kong's history, our dragons and lions, buildings and bridges. It followed the exceptionally modern designs of the euro banknotes. The criticism of the new 10-dollar note unfortunately told our designers and their clients to better be conservative than sorry.
The conservative and uninspired designs of our new banknotes are indicative of the management style of the government and previously innovative companies. But Hong Kong has a great opportunity - it will take only creative leadership and daring to get out in front again in design, politics, commerce and governance.
When Beijing publishes its new banknotes, I bet they will express the true aspiration of the global Chinese community - to bring the future forward.
PAUL ZIMMERMAN, Mid-Levels