MR. SHANGKONG

George Chen is Managing Editor for SCMP.com International Edition. He muses about the interplay between the two financial centres, Shanghai and Hong Kong, in his Mr. Shangkong columns online and in print. George, a 2014 Yale World Fellow, is the author of two books about China and Hong Kong. Follow George on Twitter: @george_chen

Last but not least, let’s talk about freedom once again and why it makes a difference for Hong Kong

This is my seventh year in Hong Kong. If you ask me what really makes Hong Kong different, compared with Shanghai where I was born or the rest of China, the first word which pops up in my mind to this question will be “freedom”.

13 Dec 2015 - 5:43pm 17

No Caption Available.

Money may make the world go round but a philanthropic mission makes tech start-ups more likely to stick around

10 Dec 2015 - 9:45pm

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2014, file photo a man leaves the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. Judges for the Pennsylvania agency that regulates buses and taxis recommended on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, a record $50 million fine against ride-sharing company Uber for operating in the state without approval. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Tencent blocks Uber on WeChat, so what ‘fair play’ can we expect in China?

6 Dec 2015 - 5:06pm 3

The average age of the Chinese movie audience is under 22 and the size of the Chinese movie market is about 50 billion yuan (HK$60.5 billion) a year. Photo: Xinhua

We can't fix everything with the internet

29 Nov 2015 - 6:17pm

The younger generation have dramatically changed the way they consume information. Photo: Nora Tam

Traditional media industry playing catch-up in Hong Kong

22 Nov 2015 - 11:20pm 1

epa05023342 A general view of the Estonian capital Tallinn, as seen from the Toompea old town of Tallinn, Estonia, 25 September 2015. Eurozone economic growth slowed in the third quarter of 2015, coming in at a less-than-expected 0.3 per cent compared with the previous three months, according to data released 13 November 2015. The 19-member currency bloc has struggled to rev up its economic engine after emerging from recession in 2013. Inflation is hovering around zero and unemployment is only gradually falling. Growth in the eurozone's gross domestic product (GDP) continued to slip after dropping from 0.5 per cent in the first quarter and 0.4 per cent in the second, according to an estimate by the European Union's statistics office, Eurostat. Estonia is part of Eurozone. EPA/MAURITZ ANTIN

Lessons to be learned from tiny Estonia

21 Nov 2015 - 7:17pm 2

Visa is embracing new technology development. Photo: AP

Industries step into technology era

9 Nov 2015 - 3:47am 2

Zhu Yuefeng, 75, stands on the balcony of her apartment at the Cherish Yearn care center facility in Shanghai as China relaxed its restrictions on how many children families can have. Photo: Reuters

Finding the money to raise kids is the issue in China

1 Nov 2015 - 8:51pm 3

What does BAT’s hiring freeze really mean to the entire internet industry?

25 Oct 2015 - 8:18pm

Google EYE Program Hong Kong team mates meet their peers in Taipei (Photo: George Chen / SCMP)

Hong Kong and Taiwan take different start-up routes

19 Oct 2015 - 12:47am

The young and ambitious are working towards becoming their own bosses.

Busy season for Hong Kong's future entrepreneurs - from coffee shops to airport

26 Oct 2015 - 1:16pm

Google has set up a team of analysts who work around the clock to protect users and identify bad ads. Photo: AFP

Cantopop and fast food: What McDonald's karaoke-inspired viral ad on YouTube teaches us about digital advertising

9 Oct 2015 - 7:15pm 2

ZTE is already the fourth largest smartphone vendor in the US, with a nearly 8 per cent market share. Photo: Thomas Yau

ZTE who? China's next push is smartphone brand names in US

5 Oct 2015 - 12:03am

Just as US President Barack Obama was welcoming Xi Jinping to Washington, US House Speaker John Boehner (above) announced his resignation from Congress. Photo: AP

Major American bro

Pope, John Boehner and Xi Jinping: who's more important for Americans?

28 Sep 2015 - 11:43am 7

Alibaba is already below its initial public offering price and some bearish analysts are predicting a possible 50 per cent fall in coming months. Photo: Reuters

Ignoring politics can be bad for business

21 Sep 2015 - 4:18am

Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Dalian. Photo: Reuters

Selling China's 'new normal' story to the world

14 Sep 2015 - 6:27am 1

Chinese premier Li Keqiang speaks at the 2014 World Economic Forum summit in Dalian, China. Photo: AFP

What to expect from China's premier Li Keqiang as he seeks to reassure the global economy at 'Summer Davos'

9 Sep 2015 - 10:39am 2

As Chinese media widely reported on Apple's upcoming smartphone, anti-Apple comments began appearing on Chinese social media platforms. Photo: Bloomberg

Foreign smartphone brands like Apple a victim of rising Chinese nationalism

11 Oct 2016 - 1:04pm 9

China has been in its worst stock market crisis in more than a decade since this June. Photo: AP

From Malaysia's MH370 to China's stock crisis, bad governance is compounding problems

30 Aug 2015 - 11:38pm 1

It’s time for policymakers to start thinking differently or we will be stuck with our Octopus cards for another 15 years. Photos: Sam Tsang, Uber/TNS

From 'out-dated' Octopus card to Uber: Is the government's mindset blocking Hong Kong's future?

26 Aug 2015 - 12:20am 31

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying talks about innovation but it seems to be meeting some trouble in the city. Photo: Simon Song

Hong Kong seeks innovation but chokes firms that can power development

17 Aug 2015 - 10:21am 12

Thousands wave national flags during August 9 festivities. Photo: AFP

From ‘Singabored’ to talent magnet, Singapore raising its stake

10 Aug 2015 - 4:00pm

Didi has become China's most popular mobile app to call for a taxi ride, but new fees have raised the ire of passengers. Photo: Simon Song

Is China car-hailing app Didi Kuaidi the next monopoly taxi business?

3 Sep 2015 - 3:58pm 1

The PBOC has proposed regulations to limit daily and annual online transactions of third-party payment tools such as Alibaba's Alipay. Photo: David Wong

China's digital economy faces mindset challenge with Li Keqiang's internet push at odds with new online payment regulations

3 Aug 2015 - 12:44pm 2

A Shanghai cab driver works on his GPS machine as taxis complain about the competition from outfits like Uber. Photo: Reuters

When 60,000 taxis are not enough for Shanghai

27 Jul 2015 - 12:07am 2

Being innovative is now overrated. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese innovation lost in the shuffle with Beijing's blessing

19 Jul 2015 - 10:20pm

Coming from one of the world's most wired countries, Hwang Chang-gyu (right), chairman of South Korea's No. 2 mobile carrier KT, may not have been impressed by the shaky mobile internet connectivity at the MWC Shanghai trade fair on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Global mobile industry fair in Shanghai left po-faced by unstable internet services

16 Jul 2015 - 8:49am 3

The Bund riverside and the skyline of Lujiazui, dubbed 'China's Wall Street', are more than a match for Hong Kong's famous Victoria Harbour. Photo: Xinhua

Shanghai redux: a tale of two global tech events, and one city

14 Jul 2015 - 11:34pm 1

Premier Li Keqiang faces the question of where to find the money to boost the market and what was the real cause of the crash. Photo: Xinhua

Global index provider MSCI joins the list of those blamed for China market crash

13 Jul 2015 - 9:05am 2

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