Opinion | Hong Kong must reopen to the world before it’s too late

The longer Hong Kong is closed off, the greater the risk of being surpassed by rivals and fading into economic irrelevance. If this means a further delay in reopening the border with the mainland, so be it

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A man walks past a closed shop in Hong Kong on April 30. Falling growth figures could be a harbinger of continuing weakness. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:15pm, 8 May 2022

Hong Kong’s coronavirus chickens are coming home to roost. First-quarter GDP figures showing a year-on-year drop of 4 per cent were bad enough, but they could be a harbinger of continuing weakness in the months ahead.

The tide is flowing against us. We need bold, decisive leadership to change the direction of the current. We must open up to the outside world quickly.

If that means a further delay in reopening the border with the mainland – something we have been pursuing for the best part of a year – that is a bullet we will have to bite. Our competitors are forging confidently ahead while we risk sleepwalking into economic irrelevance.

I will not restate the many missteps in our pandemic policies up to now. I and other commentators have practically beaten the subject to death. That is water under the bridge or, to put it another way, bodies in the morgue. But we have finally stumbled into a reasonably satisfactory position.

Our overall vaccination rate is almost 90 per cent, more than 80 per cent for the over 60s and even the octogenarians are at over 60 per cent and rising. These efforts must continue, including boosters for senior citizens.

But one area where we remain weak is in international access, putting our stated objective of being a major aviation hub at serious long-term risk. The number of flights arriving at and departing from Hong Kong International Airport is running at abysmally low levels.

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