Hong Kong officials should heed calls for a road map on reopening borders
- Political wisdom and an ability to think outside the box needed now more than ever if Hong Kong is to maintain its competitive edge in the post-Covid era while safeguarding public health
A new government usually enjoys a “honeymoon” period of 100 days while it settles in before facing more rigorous scrutiny of its performance.
The first 100 days of John Lee Ka-chiu’s administration, however, may be remembered as a very challenging time. The question is whether Hong Kong can wait much longer before opening up its borders to the world without further harming competitiveness.
In the interests of public health, the business sector has joined the community in living with Covid-related travel restrictions, rather than living with the virus. But this has been under rising protest at the cost to itself and the city’s economy.
Now the issue may be brought to a head by a chorus of business heavyweights, who say it is time for the government to change course. Lee and his advisers should take these views seriously in striving to strike a balance between opening up the city and safeguarding public health.
Pro-Beijing tycoon Peter Woo Kwong-ching last week raised the pressure on the government by arguing it needed to ease travel curbs so the city could live up to President Xi Jinping’s expectation it would “improve its presence as an international financial, shipping and trading centre”.