Opinion | Hong Kong's identity crisis

Hong Kong is an exciting and modern city characterised by the ubiquitous entrepreneurial energy. You feel and see this as your plane lands at Chek Lap Kok.

But the sad fact is that not much is known to the outside world about Hong Kong except that it is a former British colony which suddenly lost its uniqueness in 1997 when it became a special administration region of China.

In the US, for example, not many even know Hong Kong's geographical location. The city is known mainly to the handful of American executives whose corporations have chosen it as the site for their regional headquarters because of its proximity to the lucrative mainland market and the benefits accruing from the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Its attractiveness is further enhanced by certain freedoms allowed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Part of the blame for Hong Kong's diminishing visibility in the world lies with the city's eagerness to placate and please its mainland bosses in every possible way. Hong Kong's piggyback ride on China's economy is also accelerating the heavy dependence on the mainland.

Indeed, Hong Kong's overdependence on the mainland is obfuscating its global visibility. Try telling people in the American heartland that you are heading to Hong Kong and they are likely to think you are visiting one of the Chinatowns that have sprouted up in many big US cities.