Then & Now | How the Hong Kong vs Singapore thing got started, and why Lion City doesn’t indulge in such petty comparisons
The perceived rivalry between the two former British colonies has been a media staple for too long – and let’s face it, Singapore has been Asia’s pre-eminent truly cosmopolitan city since way back
Imagined competition and hyped rivalry between Hong Kong and Singapore have been a media staple for too many years.
During slow news periods, when pages somehow have to be filled, cut-and-paste, compare-and-contrast articles get bashed out with tedious frequency. Content oscillates between excoriation of one port city and exaltation of the other, with a few judiciously inserted, deliberately manufactured discussion points to help keep letters pages and online comments busy until some real news comes along.
The usual hook for these Hong Kong/Singapore comparisons is some externally bestowed economic accolade one place or the other has been awarded – either for the first time, or for the umpteenth year in weary succession. Or else one or other city has somehow slipped from a previously held benchmark ranking.