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Hong Kong remains magnet for talent, leader says, after data shows 90,000 residents have left in single year
- Chief executive stresses city will continue to lure people from around the world
- Residents are always leaving and returning for variety of reasons, such as education, she says
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Hong Kong’s leader has expressed confidence that the city can continue to attract quality immigrants and nurture talent as she brushed aside concerns over the departure of nearly 90,000 residents since the national security law was introduced.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also cautioned on Tuesday that the census figures, which showed the population had decreased by the greatest number of people since 2003, did not give a complete demographic picture.
Data released last week by the Census and Statistics Department showed the population stood at 7.39 million people as of the middle of the year compared with 7.48 million recorded 12 months ago, a decline of 1.2 per cent. The security law was introduced on June 30 last year following months of anti-government protests.
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The trend was described as “alarming” by Paul Yip Siu-fai, chair professor in social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong, and he explained the decline could be partly attributed to a sharp increase in net migration combined with a low birth rate.
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Asked whether the decrease was a concern for her, Lam stressed that residents always enjoyed the right to leave and return.
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