Letters | Why Hong Kong can’t become just another patriotic Chinese city

Readers discuss the central government’s plan for Hong Kong, the Hong Kong tourist experience on the mainland, and what life is like for non-tourists in Macau

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The 14th five-year plan supports Hong Kong’s development in eight key areas, such as international finance and trade, and global innovation and cultural exchange. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30am, 4 Sep 2023

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Recent US actions against China have been loudly criticised by Hong Kong officials. But are such point-scoring outbursts really our place or what Beijing wants from us?

United States President Joe Biden is planning more measures against China, including Hong Kong. The recent executive order he unveiled is intended to restrict US venture capital and private equity investments in Chinese companies in three sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain artificial intelligence systems.

With the implementation of the national security law, Hong Kong is no stranger to US sanctions. The chief executive and the chief secretary have been personally sanctioned.

However, these sanctions seem to have become an absurd badge of honour for those in our city’s top jobs, even though Hong Kong relies heavily on its status as a connector of China and the West.

The shrill patriotism we have seen expressed by some of our politicians presenting themselves as some sort of anti-West vanguard of our motherland seems unnecessary and unhelpful.