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Coronavirus Hong Kong
OpinionComment
Fang Zihao
Fang Zihao

Opinion | Even amid a pandemic, Hong Kong is in a better place than most

  • The government has been gradually regaining respect as the coronavirus is brought under control
  • The city’s unique strengths – proximity to mainland China, common law system and top universities – mean it has a bright future as it continues to welcome global citizens

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A man wearing a mask takes a photo of sunset on Hong Kong’s waterfront. Photo: Reuters
Fang Zihao

Last year, the “death” of Hong Kong was again declared in the Western media, as the Hong Kong government lost Hongkongers’ trust.

But not so fast: the government has been gradually regaining respect as it brings the coronavirus pandemic under some semblance of control. At the same time, Hong Kong’s unique position as a gateway to and from mainland China, along with the city’s world-class infrastructure and institutions, continues to appeal to talent and business from around the world.

So far in the pandemic, Hong Kong has had a flatter epidemic curve than most others – not to mention other major economies in Asia – which is remarkable given its status as an international transport hub. Hong Kong has achieved zero local Covid-19 cases for two weeks now.
With regard to vaccination, Hong Kong is likely to reach herd immunity by early next year. In terms of virus containment and vaccination, Hong Kong’s achievements are probably second only to mainland China’s and Macau’s.

Compared to Taiwan, another Asian Tiger, Hong Kong has done even more impressively. The Taiwanese, like Hongkongers, got into the habit of wearing masks in public during the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic of 2003. In the ongoing pandemic, the Taiwanese authorities were also quick to implement strict border restrictions.

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Queues at Taiwan Covid-19 testing site as the island battles surge in cases

Queues at Taiwan Covid-19 testing site as the island battles surge in cases
Such containment measures did work for a while for Taiwan, as they have for Australia and New Zealand. But partly due to the authorities’ complacency and hostility towards mainland China, Taiwan has seen an abrupt surge in community cases. Taiwan has been pursuing vaccine supplies directly from BioNTech, rather than Fosun, the mainland company with exclusive rights to distribute the vaccine in the Greater China region.
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