Singapore's Opening -- Any Takers?

The Lion City is welcoming visitors from HK and Macau

 

Just as the travel bubble or corridor between Hong Kong and Singapore was officially dead, the Lion City announced it would receive visitors from Hong Kong and Macau without quarantine from August 26.

It is part of a months-old scheme Singapore has with China, Taiwan and New Zealand.

Iswaran says two cities have different strategies

Singapore residents, permanent residents and long-term pass holders arriving from Hong Kong and Macau can go back home as early as Saturday. 

Travelers from Hong Kong and Macau don't even need to be vaccinated, and only need to have a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction test. However, they would still need to quarantine upon their return to their respective cities.

The travel bubble was pronounced dead according to Singapore transport minister S. Iswaran, as both cities' pandemic strategies differed, "with Singapore now taking steps towards becoming a Covid-resilient nation".

Meanwhile Hong Kong, following Beijing's lead, is trying to keep it at zero Covid-19 cases, which many, including the international business community in Hong Kong are clamouring is unrealistic and makes it another reason to move operations elsewhere.

Can HK really reach zero Covid-19 cases?

So... anyone in Hong Kong rushing to buy tickets to go to Singapore?

Didn't think so...

Hong Kong's Eroding Freedoms

New Zealand, Switzerland and Hong Kong are the top three

 

The Fraser Institute describes itself as an independent, non-partisan research and educational organization with its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada.

Every year it releases its Human Freedom Index, and surprisingly for 2020 Hong Kong is third on the list -- for the third year in a row; in 2017 it was second after Switzerland.

The HFI measures personal freedom, which includes freedom of movement, speech, assembly and religion, as well as economic freedom, as in the ability of individuals to make their own economic decisions without government or crony interference.

76 indicators used to rank 162 countries, regions

It uses 76 indicators of personal and economic freedom including, rule of law, movement, religion, expression and information, legal system, access to sound money, and freedom to trade internationally.

While Hong Kong does tick these boxes (for now), it is interesting the 2020 report still lists the Chinese city in third place despite last year's protests.

However, in the executive summary it notes:

The HFI also finds a strong relationship between human freedom and democracy. Hong Kong is an outlier in this regard. Although Hong Kong's ratings and rankings have decreased since 2008, the impact of the Chinese Communist Party's unprecedented interventions in the territory in 2019 and 2020 are not reflected in this year's report (which, as noted, is based on 2018 data). Those recent events will likely decrease Hong Kong's noticeably in the future.

The top 10 countries are: New Zealand, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Estonia, Germany, and Sweden.

National security law has infringed HK rights

China was ranked 129th, behind Taiwan (19), Kazakhstan (75), Rwanda (78), India (111) and Vietnam (121).

And in July this year, the Fraser Institute along with think tanks from 35 countries and territories around the world signed an open letter to the people of Hong Kong.

The letter summarizes Hong Kong economic rise, due to a high level of personal freedom that has seen its per capita GDP rise from US$2,000 in 1950 to US$40,000 in 2018, four times the world average.

However the letter ends by saying:

Most recently, China has ordered large scale arrests of dissidents and, on May 28, China's National People's Congress imposed a national security law which attacks Hong Kong's freedoms and Hong Kong's Basic Law (effectively, a freedom-protecting constitution), by bypassing Hong Kong's Legislative Council. While the Communist Party of China has yet to release details, the law is intended to allow mainland authorities to crush freedom in Hong Kong and extend absolute CPC rule.

Moderates are being silenced by the government

Pro-democracy demonstrators, young and old, Chinese and the many other groups that populate Hong Kong, are demonstrating to protect their freedoms and hopes for the future of their children and grandchildren. We stand with the people of Hong Kong as they attempt to protect their freedoms and rights and believe a strong global response is critical.

So we shall wait with curious anticipation what the 2021 report will say, taking into account data from 2019 and 2020...

Hongkongers' Coronavirus Concerns Grow

Even the MTR is very quiet, with not many people using public transport

Hong Kong is very quiet.

There aren't many people out on the streets, on the MTR, in shopping malls.

It's really eerie.

Yesterday I overheard some women in the gym discussing if Hongkongers' reaction to the coronavirus was an overreaction or not. One thought it was, the other not. Interestingly they were diplomatic about it and didn't get heated like the protests that had consumed the city months earlier.

Shopping malls like Times Square have few customers

Maybe it's because the epicentre is in Wuhan and not Hong Kong.

In the evening my relatives who were here during SARS are taking every precaution to protect themselves as much as possible.

When they heard the news that a Chinese doctor claimed to have contracted the coronavirus through his eyes, my relatives stopped wearing contacts and only wears glasses now. If there is a period where the coronavirus is so virulent that they can't go out for a few days, they have bought enough cup noodles and noodles to keep them alive.

However their biggest worry is sourcing masks. Not just any mask, but masks not made in China. "Do you dare to wear one made from China?" my uncle asked.

They are heading to Japan for a trip they had planned months ago and will scour every stop they go to for masks. This is their main mission now.

Almost everyone wears a mask out in public

Then today a friend and I met up for brunch and he is mentally overwhelmed by it, probably exhausted after dealing with eight months of protests and seeing the economic impact it has had on Hong Kong and now the coronavirus.

He wants to take a break and leave Hong Kong before more countries make it harder for us living here to get out. The United States, European Union, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore have all banned or restricted the entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners who have visited China recently. The list could keep growing thanks to the World Health Organization declaring a global public health emergency.

As we were discussing this, we heard gales of laughter and shrieks coming from the tables behind us, diners who seemed completely unaware or oblivious to the health crisis in the city.

Meanwhile I had dinner with another friend who is hoping that not all the shows for the upcoming Hong Kong Arts Festival will be cancelled. But the Boston Symphony Orchestra which was supposed to open the festival on February 12 and 13 has bowed out due to concerns of the coronavirus, and with a number of Leisure and Cultural Services Department venues closed indefinitely, it's hard to tell if the festival will continue at this rate.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its Asia trip

After dinner we walked through IFC mall and at 8.15pm it was a ghost town. Most of the shops were already closed. I wandered through the supermarket CitySuper and usually it's busy with people getting their food shopping done for the week, but there was less than half the crowd.

For Hong Kong this is only the first week of the coronavirus. The statistics are staggering, with so far over 14,500 confirmed cases globally, 305 deaths, including one in the Philippines.

A Whatsapp message is going around today, a voice message apparently from Dr Ho Pak-leung recorded yesterday, who says the coronavirus could be transmitted through faeces and that people should close the lid of the toilet before flushing.

He also suggests pouring some water in the drain in the bathroom floor everyday, though I couldn't understand the reasoning except perhaps to ensure the pipes are functioning?

This just adds to more anxiety for everyone with more things to do and worry about.

Meanwhile Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor refused to meet with members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance today, and so the strike will go ahead tomorrow. This is contrary to what Lam has said before, that she would be willing to listen to what others had to say.

The health care union said Carrie Lam didn't come to meet them

The fact that she didn't even want to meet the union suggests she is not interested in trying to understand the healthcare sectors' concerns, even if they are complaints about how the government has handled this crisis so far. It is the least she can do.

But perhaps she has other things to do, like get her hair done.

Everyone is frustrated by the government's inaction. My friend at brunch kept saying how the Macanese government was decisive in making sure it sourced 20 million masks for its residents and they could get 10 masks at a low prices every 10 days, while the Hong Kong government has done nothing of the sort.

At the same time he upset by the price gouging by opportunistic businesses, or having to wait in line for hours.

And this is only the start of the coronavirus crisis... it maybe a few months yet before Hong Kong and the rest of the world are in the clear...

Breakfast at The Pen

Scrambled eggs in between thick slices of bread for breakfast at The Peninsula

Ah breakfast. The essential meal to start of the day.

What better place to indulge in breakfast than the Lobby of the Peninsula Hong Kong.

A relative was staying at the Sheraton and I suggested we meet across the street at the iconic hotel with 90 years of history.

The breakfast menu has a lot of choice, but can be expensive, with a full breakfast costing over HK$300! You could also have congee with pork spare ribs and preserved vegetables, granola, instant noodles with meats -- a kind of glorified cha chaan teng dish.

French toast using brioche bread was on the menu -- I should try that next time!

In the end I settled for New Zealand scrambled eggs sandwich. It arrived, with the crusts cut -- please don't! -- and very yellow eggs in between the white bread that had butter slathered on them.

The egg sandwich also came with three slices of cucumber and two of tomato...

This was definitely an indulging egg sandwich -- how many eggs were used to make it?! Nevertheless the bread was soft and buttery, the eggs quite fluffy too. Needless to say with a cup of latte it was a nice breakfast to catch up and enjoy the moment.

However, when we walked outside, it was pouring rain! Luckily I had a small umbrella and escorted my relative across the street to her hotel and then went on my way.

McDonald's Tasting Spree

Ebi or shrimp burger with pineapple in it at McDonald's is very bland

My general rule is to only eat McDonald's once a year -- after I finish the Standard Chartered Marathon 10K race as an excuse to refuel on calories, and it's open early.

However the other day I broke that rule when a friend visiting from the United States was on a mission to try some McDonald's food that you can't find there and I agreed to help try some of it. Why not in the name of research?

Pass on the mango drink with cheese on top

At the giant tablet where you can order food without a human, he was all excited to try several items and luckily we got there just before the lunchtime rush to secure a table too.

After about 10 minutes the food arrived in boxes and wrapped in paper, though the regular waffle fries -- called "potato grids" were already decent on their own. But when we added the extra seasoning of sesame oil flavour, and shook them in a paper bag together, the waffle fries -- oh I mean the potato grids -- were coated in a powder that made it hard to consume, and only when combined with my saliva did I detect the sesame oil taste that was completely redundant.

In terms of burgers we tried the ebi or shrimp burger with pineapple. Intriguing, right? Wrong. There was absolutely no taste in this deep-fried shrimp patty with a piece of lettuce, mayonnaise and canned pineapple. Why would anyone want to eat this?

We also tried the cowboy Angus -- a 130g thick cut Angus patty with a deep-fried onion ring, Cheddar cheese and Emmenthal cheese and shredded lettuce. You need a really big mouth to fit all that in, but it was a burger masquerading to be something fancy, but in reality it was hardly impressive. There was too much going on that the flavours cancelled themselves out.

Definitely go for the deep-fried chicken wings!

McDonald's is trying to catch up with the bubble tea craze minus the boba or black pearls and offering cheese toppings -- sourced from Europe and New Zealand -- on different flavoured drinks, like soy milk matcha tea, salted caramel latte, and long black. My friend ordered a mango one and it arrived with a thick white foam on top with an artful design of hearts in mango sauce.

But alas, I can only say the same refrain -- no taste! As we were drinking this without a straw, it took several gulps to even get to the mango part, and even then there was no mango taste! It's so visually misleading.

However our visit to the fast-food joint was redeemed by the chicken wings, deep-fried of course. Luckily we could order two pieces, one drumstick and one winglet. The outside was crispy, and surprisingly moist inside.

So I'm definitely done with McDonald's for the rest of the year. The lesson learned is to stick to the classics -- but maybe with a chicken wing on the side.

Corrupt Officials Capitalize on Bureaucratic Loopholes

China's bureaucracy makes it easy for corrupt officials, difficult for citizens

Late last month Chinese Premier Li Keqiang blasted officials for the hoops ordinary citizens have to go through to get things done, such as having to prove one's mother really was his mother in order to get an overseas travel permit, or being recommended for a model worker award, but then needing to submit a form with stamps from eight different government agencies.

He might also be fuming when it was discovered a fugitive official wanted on corruption charges was able to flee China to New Zealand even though his passport was confiscated.

The fugitive, only identified as "Ge", fled the mainland in January 2008 after graft busters disciplined an official he apparently bribed.

"I was bewildered. We had seized his passport so how could he leave the country?" Gao Guangshan, from the Huainan procuratorate said. "It was only after I checked with the Qingdao public security [bureau] that I found out that he had written [to the bureau] claiming that his passport had been lost and was issued a new one."

Ge's passport had been seized in Huainan in Anhui province, but then he was able to receive a new one in Qingdao. From there he went to Shanghai wit his wife to leave the country.

The investigation into Ge was stopped in 2010, but was reopened last year when Beijing launched its Fox Hunt operation to track down fugitive officials.

When Ge's wife returned in China for a visit, investigators advised her to persuade Ge to turn himself in, which he did in February.

Now there's an effort to close up this loophole by authorities by cracking down on officials who travel on private passports.

Note to corrupt officials abroad -- Once you flee China, don't even think of ever going back. If Ge's wife hadn't returned, Ge would probably still be living it up in New Zealand...