HK Borders May Lift a Year from Now

There could be a lot more expats leaving HK next year

When is Hong Kong going to lift its borders? This is the constant question asked by everyone everyday and people's patience is wearing thin.

Up until yesterday many of us were led to believe things would slowly get back to "normal" after the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022. A few months from now, OK understandable from the Chinese capital's perspective desperate to have zero cases and zero disruptions.

But yesterday the Financial Post was reporting opening the border would happen in November 2022, just over a year from now. Another at least 365 days.

People are getting tired of no no-quarantine travel

A massive collective groan could be heard all over the city when people read this.

The reasoning?

"A significant outbreak in China or Hong Kong would also be politically sensitive, as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics in February and President Xi Jinping seeks to secure a third term in power later next year. Hong Kong will also hold a leadership election in March and mark 25 years since the handover from British to Chinese rule of the city in July," the report says.

And here's the kicker:

"The new policy is expected to last into 2022 -- possibly until after the Chinese Communist party congress in November, according to one Chinese government official -- and authorities have not proposed any timeline for loosening the rules."

What does this mean?

A lot of expats who were thinking about possibly leaving next year are probably going to make the move, fed up with the government not rewarding residents for getting vaccinated to make it easier for them to travel, or their work is travel-related and they need to get on with it, or they want to see their loved ones but not be penalized by having to do up to 21 days' quarantine in a hotel room they have to pay for and not be sure of the conditions of the room or the food, or possibly catch the virus while in quarantine.

Lam aligning Hong Kong with China, zero-Covid

Or perhaps as someone suggested on Twitter, this was a non-political way for the Hong Kong government to get rid of expats to make the city more of a mainland one.

Various western chambers of commerce have had talks with the government, trying to persuade it to lift the quarantine restrictions to a maximum of 14 days and open the borders to other countries, but earlier this month, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Hong Kong's ties with the mainland are more important than international business and global travel connections. 

So there it is, Hong Kong's determination, or rather Lam's determination to stand with China on all things Covid, which means following Beijing's zero-Covid goal.

As they say, "If you don't like it, leave", and many people may do just that.

Nicole Kidman's Quarantine-Free Stay in HK Sparks Anger

 

Kidman is in Hong Kong filming a TV series for Amazon

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman is in town filming a television series for Amazon called Expats and she really is living the glamorous expatriate life in Hong Kong.

She flew into Hong Kong from Sydney in a private jet and even got permission from the government to avoid having to quarantine, much to the shock of the rest of us who have had to suffer through the authorities' extreme measures of up to 21 days in quarantine to keep the Covid-19 virus out.

She was shopping in Cos, not in quarantine

The Australian celebrity was spotted in fashion boutique Cos -- which made people wonder why considering she is living in a residence up on the Peak for HK$650,000 (US$83,500) a month, and apparently staying until October.

When asked to explain why Kidman was already out and about two days after her arrival when she should have been in hotel quarantine for seven days, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau clarified today she was given permission to carry out "designated professional work... conducive to maintaining the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong's economy."

What about the rest of us? Are we not contributing to the local economy?

This privilege of avoiding quarantine came with other conditions, that Kidman take at least three Covid-19 tests in the first two weeks of her stay, submit an itinerary of her job activities, travel only point-to-point, and stay off public transport.

Oh guess we won't be seeing her on the MTR then.

A select few others get to avoid quarantine as well, such as top business executives and diplomats, subject to the approval of the Chief Secretary.

A complicated quarantine graphic shows Kidman free to go

On social media Kidman was criticized for taking advantage of these perks and living the high life while residents are literally trying to leave the city because of the repressive measures the government is imposing.

This is not the first time Kidman has been hit out for her living arrangements -- last year she and her husband Keith Urban came back to Sydney and didn't have to do quarantine in government quarters, but in the comfort of their holiday home with their two daughters.

So today Kidman is on par with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in terms of their popularity ratings. 

There's going to be lots more questions about this at Lam's Tuesday morning press conference...

 

 

Is HK Press Freedom Under Threat?

Lam gives cryptic answer to press freedom question

This morning Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held her regular press conference and in the question and answer period, an expatriate journalist asked her about press freedom under the new national security law.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club had written to her, asking for assurances that journalists would be able to write on any topic, and will not be ordered to remove content under the new law that was enacted last week.

She replied if all reporters in Hong Kong can guarantee they will not breach the national security law, then she will guarantee they can report freely.

Yeung doesn't have answers on press boundaries

What does that mean?

The cryptic nature of her response was like a thinly veiled threat, much like the general theme of the national security law: as long as you don't cause trouble, you will be fine. But what are those boundaries?

The Hong Kong Journalists Association would also like to know. The association's chairman, Chris Yeung said that he has fielded lots of inquiries from media outlets about which stories they can run.

"I honestly do not have the answer, I think the present situation is now that you're ok until you're not ok, when they think you're not ok then you'll be in trouble," he said at a media briefing held for the timely release of the HKJA report on freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

"We want a concrete assurance, for instance, that what we have done before, what we publish, people we have talked to before, we will still be able to do so without the risk of say being prosecuted under the new law," Yeung continued.

Perhaps we should follow Deng's advice

Perhaps we should follow the advice for former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who said the famous saying, "crossing the river by feeling the stones".

It's a new normal we're all adjusting to -- together.

Hongkongers Making Exit Plans

People in Hong Kong are looking for ways to safeguard themselves and assets

As the anti-government protests drag on into the 19th week with no end in sight, many people in Hong Kong are quietly making contingency plans.

Some expatriate families have already left or will be leaving. There are anecdotes of children being pulled out of school and taken back to their home countries to continue their studies or their parents have been posted elsewhere.

Locals are scrambling to figure out their plan A, B, C, D and E. Last week my aunt told me she went to the bank and overheard many people wanting to set up overseas accounts to make it easier to transfer money overseas.

One of the easiest places to immigrate to is Portugal

The most popular bank right now is Citibank, where people want to be able to send their money to the United States for safekeeping. It is said Citibank is easier thank HSBC, which has greater scrutiny over its bank account holders after the bank was fined for laundering money in the US.

There are also fears or rumours the Hong Kong government could instruct the banks to restrict how much money can be withdrawn or transferred abroad, which is why everyone is rushing to transfer money now. Wonder how much capital flight is coming out of Hong Kong is these days.

Many are also looking for ways to immigrate elsewhere. Even before the protests began, a friend of my brother's told us he had already been looking into leaving, weighing his options of moving his family of five to Canada or the UK, weighing the options. Even then he was worried about the effects of the extradition bill. He probably never anticipated the prolonged mess we are in now.

I've heard that Portugal is financially the easiest place to immigrate to, as the most important requirement is to buy a flat, which can range from 300,000 euros (US$331,221) for a second-hand home, to 500,000 euros (US$552,036) for a new one.

When the deal is finalized, people can freely go back and forth between Hong Kong and Portugal, which means one could technically continue working in Hong Kong, until the residency paperwork is done in five years.

But what if Hong Kong falls apart in less than five years? What then? That's the gamble.

One needs to have enough money to not only buy a property overseas but also continue with the mortgage payments in Hong Kong or pay rent. So the more wealthier you are the more options you have. If anything, these protests have forced many people to stop frivolous spending and save money.

If you need more information about immigrating, every weekend there are seminars held in packed hotel ballrooms, where immigration experts and lawyers give advice to prospective clients on where to go, what the requirements are and how much it's going to cost.

People are very scared and depressed to see what is happening to Hong Kong, their home. They are disappointed that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has done nothing to quell the protests that have become more and more violent, the police more shameless in their brutality towards the protesters and everyone caught in between, from innocent bystanders to shops and businesses.

Everyone wants a peaceful resolution to this mess, that started with the outrage over the proposal of an extradition bill. After some peaceful marches, these were ignored by Lam and so protesters escalated to violence.

And now they are targeting business that are related to China, from the MTR to Bank of China to Huawei to any restaurant related to Maxim's. The scenes of fires and physical destruction only bring more stress and hopelessness to Hongkongers.

People are wondering what will happen to the city they love. Will things ever get back to normal? Or is this the new normal? They are only thinking, and rightly so, of how to safeguard their families, themselves and their assets.

Why is Lam letting Hong Kong fall apart like this? Does she think she can rebuild it again? Or is she leaving it to the Chinese to do that?

Either way the optics are terrible.

Tomorrow she will give her highly anticipated policy address. No one is expecting miracles, but instead more protests in reaction to what will probably be a ho-hum speech. We all need hope, Carrie. Please give us a sign.

China Tries to Entice Foreigners

Wanna live in China? The government is making it easier to get residency

It's interesting the Chinese government is easing its green card requirements so that more foreigners can be eligible to live and work on the mainland. But is anyone biting?

The State Council issued a directive on Thursday, stating that foreigners working in a greater range of areas would be able to apply for permanent residency, but did not specify which ones.

"In the past three decades, China focused on attracting foreign capital, and in the three decades ahead, it should shift to foreign talent," said Wang Huiyao, director of the Centre for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank.

Perhaps air quality isn't really attracting expats to China...

Up until last June, only foreigners who worked in government departments or laboratories involved in "key national projects" could apply for permanent residency. Then the rule was later relaxed to include researchers at more institutes, including those with international funding.

While a 2010 national census says there were about 600,000 foreigners living in the mainland, Wang estimates about 6,000 to 7,000 foreigners have actually acquired permanent residency.

However, as someone who has lived in Beijing for three years, it's hard to understand why foreigners would want to have permanent residency in China, when the government creates such an aggressive stance against them, blaming them for the country's social ills and jealousy of the success of foreign brands.

And then coupled with the horrific air quality in major cities, particularly Beijing and Shanghai, and questionable food safety, why would anyone want to live there long-term?

Just sayin'...

Taxi-ing to Another Level

Uber may be everyone's private driver, but taxi drivers' biggest nightmare

In many places around the world, the mobile car-hailing app Uber is not welcomed. On the day we arrived in Paris on June 25, taxi drivers went on strike protesting Uber, by blocking all roads to the airport with their vehicles.

While the Parisians just shrugged, as strikes are a normal occurrence, the rest of us had to schlepp our luggage to from the airport to the commuter train to get into town.

New York City recently temporarily gave up trying to cap the number of Uber vehicles in the Big Apple for a four-month trial period, while in Hong Kong, taxi drivers are kicking up a fuss.

Taxi drivers smashing one of their own vehicles for attention

They even protested by smashing a red cab on Friday with sledgehammers. Why they damaged one of their own vehicles is beyond me, but maybe they were so angry they only saw red?

The drivers say they have lost 20 percent in revenue since the introduction of mobile apps in Hong Kong and are calling for the government to clamp down on car-hailing apps like Uber, as those drivers may not be properly licensed with a hire-car permit.

But what about the cab drivers themselves? Some have their dashboards lined up with mobile phones to take calls from clients who want a ride at a specific time of day and place for a slightly cheaper rate. Isn't what they are doing very similar to Uber?

Except with Uber, you can rate your driver and if there's a problem, there's remedial action taken. And also they take credit card payment, something standard in places like New York City.

My uncle told me he and his friend dined in a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui and afterwards his friend used Uber for the first time to get a ride home. To his astonishment, a red taxi showed up within five minutes. Sounds like the taxi driver wants the best of both worlds.

Many expatriates -- a large number of them take taxis daily -- are happy to see Uber here. They are tired of drivers having a cigarette smoke smell in the car, or putting up with the seemingly arrogant attitude, or late at night choosing their customers by only rolling down their windows to see how far potential customers need to go.

While there are 50,000 red taxis here, is there room for Uber?

In areas like Lan Kwai Fong after the MTR is closed, some taxis will prowl the area and demand at least HK$200 per ride, even if it's five minutes away. Not enough people complain to the police or they find it too much of a hassle to file a report, and so the authorities don't realize this is a serious problem.

Hence Uber is a godsend for many as an alternative to the apparently 50,000 taxis in the city, who all aren't available at 4pm because the drivers are changing shifts.

Another car-hailing app called Call4van fills a need for those who have some goods to carry, but don't fit in the space of a taxi or have more passengers or luggage.

Therefore many people here don't have much sympathy for taxi drivers, even though they need to shell out some HK$7 million for a license, the equivalent of a two-bedroom flat.

I don't take taxis very often, as the vast majority of the places I go to are accessible by public transport. When I do take taxis, some are very chatty, others are busy counting their money at the red light. When I have to go to a place I'm not familiar with at all, some are very helpful, and I'm grateful they know their way around so easily.

But these drivers, many in their 50s and 60s, don't get the fuss with Uber. However, if the service is cutting into their profits, then perhaps they should stop being so picky and be the dependable service they used to be.