Harnessing Training Insights to Forge a Resilient “New Hong Kong”
Jonathan Lamport In July, I visited Beijing with the rest of the Legislative Council for a study and observation trip. I was very grateful for this rare opportunity. We stayed at the historically significant National Academy of Governance, where the setting was grounded and highly functional. The curriculum was tailor-made for us lawmakers, and the lecturers were all top-tier, national-level experts and scholars. They provided profound, yet accessible, analyses of national strategies, allowing me to deeply appreciate the systemic nature of the Chinese Mainland’s government. Driving sustainable development means striking a very precise balance between security and openness. The field visits also left a deep impression on me and prompted me to reflect on my own shortcomings. The Museum of the Communist Party of China demonstrated that the nation’s prosperity and strength were hard-won, while the Beijing 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Centre, with multilingual services and strict KPIs, highlighted a commitment to serve the public. I am determined to turn these valuable experiences into a solid foundation, bringing renewed vigour to my own work for the Council and the business community of Hong Kong.
Equipped with this holistic macroeconomic national perspective, I started noticing recent criticism that Hong Kong is losing its market advantage.
As a business operator advocating for the commercial sector in the LegCo, I cannot help but reflect: what kind of “market advantage” are they actually longing for? Hong Kong businesses since the turn of the century have welcomed diverse autonomy and genuinely fair competition. Since the handover, Hong Kong is no longer merely a transit hub. Instead, by integrating local scientific research with the Mainland’s high-end manufacturing, it has transformed into a high-value-added technology integrator. Some question Hong Kong’s “internationalisation”, but this is a misjudgement rooted in clinging to outdated frameworks. True internationalisation is not about blindly worshipping a single market, but about embracing global diversity. In the face of global political and economic restructuring, the Hong Kong business community has demonstrated immense resilience. We are proactively exploring the Middle East, ASEAN, and the vast Mainland markets; simultaneously, our economic and trade relations with European partners continue to deepen steadily. Century-old foreign enterprises continuing to expand in the city is a clear vote of confidence in Hong Kong.
The old era of being subject to others’ decisions and passively dependent has indeed ended. This “new Hong Kong” has cast aside prejudice and features a market layout that is more flexible and resilient to risks. Hong Kong’s prosperity has never been dictated by the pens of commentators. Rather, it rests in the hands of every adaptable, daring, and innovative Hongkonger.
