LettersWhy Hong Kong needs to welcome mainland Chinese to settle in city

I write in response to widespread calls to slash the number of mainland Chinese allowed to settle here in Hong Kong from 150 a day, a level which is not being met in the first place (“Cut quota of mainlanders settling in Hong Kong to ease tensions, tycoon urges”, January 12).

I would like to point out that, according to government statistics, Hong Kong has one of the lowest birth rates in the region, far below replacement level.

These statistics also provide the information that about 130 Hong Kong citizens die every day.

We have a rapidly ageing and dying population and if we do not encourage immigration, Hong Kong will be deserted within a couple of generations. We need immigrants.

Most Hong Kong citizens are the children or grandchildren of mainland Chinese immigrants and refugees; new immigrants from the mainland share the same ethnicity and culture, many speak Cantonese or learn quickly, and many are the spouses and children of Hong Kong citizens.

We should welcome these new arrivals, as we welcomed their predecessors in the post-war period; those hardworking people who sacrificed so much to make a success of their lives and to give their children a better future than they had and, in so doing, making Hong Kong the vibrant international city it is today.