The United Kingdom: a land of broken promises

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence as many emigrants have found out. It doesn’t matter which country they plan to settle; the story is the same for most: desperation and hardship.

There have been stories of successes as the Chinese have been known for their tendency to emigrate to every corner of the world. There are Chinese restaurants and market gardens everywhere and many have even been admitted into local legislatures. There are also Hongkongers in academia and various professions taking up key positions in local communities.
But there have also been stories of hardships.

Hong Kong’s population stood at 7.1 million in 2010. Today it is officially 7.4 million and would have been more if there was not a dip of 0.9 per cent in the 2019-20 period when Hong Kong experienced devastating riots and social unrest. Many fled to the US, Canada, Australia and the UK for various reasons including searching of a better life or escaping prosecution for criminal offences relating to the riots. Others left to seek a better life abroad or to follow their loved ones.

Immigration lawyers rose like mushrooms in a damp paddock ready to sap a lucrative market seeking a new home in a far away place. And foreign governments could see the potential of a highly regarded workforce to bolster their economies. It appeared to be an ideal formula of supply and demand. But that was not to be.

Many who fled to the UK in the 2019-21 period arrived at a time when unemployment had reached 4.7 per cent so jobs in the promised land were not available. In fact, many were shunned as noted in a survey that the National Health Service (NHS) was facing severe staff shortages while Hong Kong medical professionals were Uber drivers.

Hongkongers who fled to the UK faced many problems, the greatest being language, followed by financial difficulties due to lack of work or low paying jobs.

The British think tank, British Future and its companion Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers (WC4HK), had carried out a survey among arrivals from Hong Kong and found life in the promised land was not a bed of roses for the newcomers. They found the costs of council tax, energy bills and public transportation unexpectedly high. The useless British National (Overseas)BN(O) passport holders faced financial challenges due to their visa status, including lack of credit history, the NHS surcharge and difficulties accessing their Hong Kong pension.

Most of the participants interviewed by the WC4HK had not achieved a degree to fit with their previous jobs in Hong Kong. It was more common for the new arrivals to be working in both a different sector, and at a lower skilled level. For example an editor is now working as a waitress at events, an insurance accounts manager in a shipping firm is working in a warehouse as a picker and packer, an accountant is now working as a chef and was previously in retail and hotel work, a journalist who searched unsuccessfully for clerical work, is now working as a chef, a primary school teacher is now working in a nursing home, a construction manager is now doing freelance translation work, a marketing manager is now unemployed after working part-time in a beverage shop, a manager in a toy manufacturing company is now working on data input, a civil servant is now working as a security guard in a prison, and a director’s secretary is now working in two cleaning jobs. They are all square pegs in a round hole.

In January 2021, the British, in an effort to entice more Hong Kong people to the UK, introduced special immigration visas available to 5.4 million residents in its former colony. It was a flop!
Some 144,500 Hongkongers took up the new visa offer during the two years after the scheme was introduced. The scheme allowed BN(O) passport holders and their dependents to live and work in the UK for up to five years with the goal towards permanent residency and citizenship.

Adults born after 1997 can also apply on their own if one of their parents is a BN(O) holder.
But the Brits are putting up a brave face. British politician Robert Jenrick said last year when he was Immigration Minister that the policy allowed Hongkongers to “enjoy all the freedoms that we enjoy here [UK].” Actually, they are the very same freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong.

And, unashamedly, he added, “Many Hongkongers have said that living in Britain is like coming home. The UK is proud to have welcomed 144,500 people from Hong Kong since the launch of the new BN(O) visa launch.”

Obviously, Mr Jenrick has not read the report from the Welcoming Committee for Hongkongers on the gripes Hongkongers have about the UK. And a success rate of 2.27 percent of the 5.4 million eligible to take up the offer is hardly something to crow about.

Mark Pinkstone

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

Tina Turner’s signature song “Simply the Best,” was used by the Hong Kong Tourism Board some years ago to identify the attributes of Hong Kong, known as the Pearl of the Orient. Today, about 40 years later, it’s still true.

International leisure magazine Time Out has lauded Hong Kong as having the world’s best public transport system world-wide, a view shared by international transport publication Infra journal (published in Milan, Italy) which headlined a story “A world class leader in public transit: here is the Hong Kong model.”

But transport is not our only top ranker in the world economies. Hong Kong was first in Asia as a Global Financial Centre and maintained its placing as third in global rankings in the index. And as far as our prophets of doom are concerned, Hong Kong ranks high in the rule of law index, even surpassing the US.

Yes, we are simply the best and doing better day by day. Hong Kong has a remarkable “can-do” spirit and is always willing to face adversaries head-on. The Steve Roaches (former Asian chairman of JP Morgan) of the world who keep reciting the death of Hong Kong, have kept their heads in the sand during their tenure in the city. They have learned nothing about the resilience of its people. At times we might be down, but never out.

In the rule of law index, Hong Kong was placed 23rd out of 142 jurisdictions, one point above the US. A Hong Kong SAR government said at the time that the city remained high in the overall ranking and continued to be ahead of some European and American countries which “often unreasonably criticise Hong Kong’s rule of law and human rights situation. Hong Kong’s score in respect of Absence of Corruption was higher than the previous year, ranking 10th globally, showing that it remains one of the most corruption-free places in the world.

Hong Kong has long been recognised as the financial hub of Asia and well placed in global rankings. The Global Financial Centres Index assessing some 119 financial centres around the world, picked Hong Kong third globally. A government spokesman said the report recognises Hong Kong’s leading status and strengths as an international trading centre. Hong Kong’s ranking for human capital, infrastructure and financial sector development rose to second in the world while business environment and reputational and general rose to third globally.

As far as public transport is concerned, Hong Kong is second to none. Hong Kong claimed top spot in Time Out magazine’s survey of 18,500 interviews globally. Shanghai was second and Beijing third. Asian cities claimed nine of the 19 spots world-wide. The US didn’t make the grade.
Infra magazine said that in many cities, transport planners dream of a future when most people prefer to use public rather than drive a car. In Hong Kong, the future arrived early.

“Hong Kong’s leadership in public transit is the outcome of government policies, multimodal investments, meticulous planning and a rail plus property business model which foster and sustains high levels of transit usage.” the magazine said, noting that 80 per cent of Hong Kong residents use public transport.

The magazine marvelled at the MTR’s rail plus property model which allows the corporation to build a world-class transit system and operate a self-sustaining entity, unlike most cities where public transport systems require government subsidies. The success of the MTRC has been recognised world-wide. Its expertise and its corporation model now extends beyond Hong Kong with railway-related projects and operations in the mainland, (including lines in Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou), Macao, the United Kingdom (the Elizabeth Line in London), Sweden’s Stockholm Metro, Melbourne and the Sydney Metro North West Line in Australia.

Yes, Hong Kong is a city that never sleeps. The lights in the business commercial district burn relentlessly 24 hours day and the bus services run throughout the day and night taking commuters to their workplace to keep the cogs of Hong Kong churning.
This is how Hong Kong maintains its status as a world-class city.