There are good points in this year's budget, John Tsang Chun-wah's seventh. First, in setting "competitiveness" as the theme, Tsang talks of three pillars that support Hong Kong's economic success: opportunities presented by the mainland, commitment to free market principles and our positioning as a world city. This message will help allay the concerns of some observers that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying tends to be more northward looking and interventionist than his two predecessors.