Here are some practical tips for Hong Kong to be racially inclusive.

The government and the private sector must provide visibility to racial minorities. Every advertisement, print or digital, should include ethnic minorities.

Most members of the city’s ethnic minority communities consider themselves “locals”, and therefore should be referred to as such. Also, the term “ethnic diverse population” should be used.

Ethnic minorities often experience racial discrimination on the MTR and the bus, in the form of name-calling, people covering their noses (suggesting that members of ethnic minority groups smell) or walking away. Transport providers need to launch a bold campaign to stamp out racial discrimination.

Sometimes written Chinese is a genuine job requirement, but sometimes it is not. Think before making it a job requirement.

Company leaders may be calling for more diversity but recruitment folk seem to think differently. More racial diversity means more spoken English, and many are not comfortable speaking English. Leaders need to encourage the use of English if Hong Kong is to be an international city.

Shalini Mahtani, The Zubin Foundation

Containing China a waste of the West’s energy

Let’s just imagine the enormous effort and energy going into this pursuit. Many economically leading countries seem unable to focus on anything else.

Instead of spending energy on containing China, this energy could be put to much better use, for example, on helping India, Mexico, the Philippines, Nigeria or Bangladesh, among many others, develop faster.

Many of them are considered “rules-based” and deserve to be supported by Western democracies.

Stop wasting energy and be happy if a country is capable of dressing, feeding and housing its population – and thus no longer needs to line up for donations.

Roland Guettler, Lai Chi Kok