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Opinion
Cathay Pacific discrimination scandal shows roots of anti-mainland sentiment in Hong Kong still unaddressed
- Legal measures will merely provide temporary relief as they are only useful when both parties recognise what amounts to wrongdoing
- The government must look deeper into the causes of tensions between Hongkongers and mainland visitors, and take seriously the difficulties faced by tourism sector workers
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John Hanzhang Ye is a PhD student in science and technology history at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and also holds an MPhil degree in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The recent Cathay Pacific discrimination scandal has cast doubt on the local government’s “Hello Hong Kong” campaign. After a social media post in which a Mandarin-speaking passenger accused cabin crew of mocking passengers’ English-language abilities on a flight from Chengdu to Hong Kong went viral on the mainland, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, the People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency condemned the discrimination and demanded the airline deal seriously with the issue.
Though Cathay Pacific quickly fired the attendants and its CEO apologised in Mandarin, the incident has cast a shadow on Hong Kong’s global public relations campaign and the company’s reputation.
In 2019, Cathay Pacific faced a backlash from the mainland over some employees’ support of the anti-government protests. Then, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the airline had to suspend most of its flights and has only recently begun rebuilding its route network.
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