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Letters | You won’t get the truth about Hong Kong from biased media
- Focusing on the minority of AmCham survey respondents considering leaving the city and not the majority that wants to stay smacks of intentions to defame Hong Kong and China
I commend Jim Thompson for his gallant defence of Hong Kong’s business environment against accusations of its having become unfriendly to international companies as a result of discomfort over the national security law (“Never mind the surveys, Hong Kong’s business future is bright”, May 26).
He calls out the limitations of international media reports that highlight a four-question survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong of a quarter of its members. To focus on the 42 per cent that are considering leaving and not the majority that wishes to remain smacks of intentions to defame Hong Kong and China.
In the survey, apart from the 58 per cent that expressed no plans to leave Hong Kong, some praised the city as better than the United States to live in in terms of security. More than three quarters of those who said they planned to stay cited the quality of life here.
As one respondent to another AmCham survey said in January: “The markets have been stable and business activity has increased. Capital flows into [Hong Kong] and China have remained very healthy”, referring to “iIl-informed criticism from Western politicians and media” as “inaccurate and unhelpful”.
It is better for readers who live far away from Hong Kong to read the first-hand experiences of local US expatriates who continue to hold high stakes here as they present the whole truth. As a Hongkonger born and bred, I am much obliged to the former AmCham chairman and wish to thank him for issuing a fair statement to counter the distorted message from international media.
Edmond Pang, Fanling
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