Australian consul general suggests 'sensible' approach to addressing Hong Kong's anti-mainland China sentiments
Envoy says 'anxious' Hong Kong can learn from how his nation benefits from outside influences
Anti-mainland sentiment in the city is understandable but Hongkongers might take reference from the experience of Australia, where an openness to outside influence has proved vital to the country's success, its top diplomat here says.
The multiracial land of immigrants has undergone pressures like those Hong Kong is under, such as an infusion of foreign investment in real estate, said Paul Tighe, Australia's consul general to Hong Kong and Macau.
"So I can understand that in a place like Hong Kong, where in the scheme of things it's very small compared to mainland China, there would be a little bit of anxiety about the impact on Hong Kong," he said.
"It's not my place to be offering advice on how to manage [sentiments], other than to say that our experience has been that an openness to foreign influence and investment has been what modern Australia has been built on."
But there was a need to respond to sentiments in a "sensible" way, he added.
"The government, from time to time, looks at policies to try to make sure they are in the national interests because we don't want to see Australians forced out of the market," he said.
The Foreign Investment Review Board had strengthened restrictions in Australia, such as only allowing foreigners to buy new properties and not old ones, he said.