It has been rumoured that the top men in China are meeting with the remaining european business people in HK to see solutions to re-starting the sluggish financial affairs of the once British colony - How amazing!
That sounds like good news because China were being quite dictatorial with the people who lived there.
might be good news for the economy but not for the residents per se they still remain under dictatorial rules and regulations. I lived there when it was still a british colony and one particular chinese local trader was asked who is the best kind of boss in HK - UK ; Usa or Chinese - the reply the UK one = usa to bossy and know it all - chinese to bossy and hard - uk kind and understanding and worked alongside!! funny that heh??
The Chinese have always controlled their people harshly, isn’t that how China managed to pay low wages and produce cheap goods that many countries bought.
HK life was never going to be good once China controlled it again & I suspect that Putin is trying to follow their example in Russia.
they are both strongly anti- west!
Hi
Hong Kong was so successful under UK Protectionism because we let them rip.
Fantastic at business, they did not miss a trick.
They are not idiots and have moved many centres of business abroad.
A lesson the Chinese have to learn.
We have lost taxation from the change,
The Chinese have lost everything.
once a tax free haven - where I could buy beautiful cheap cuban cigars!!
the CCP made the decision to reign in HK long before their own mainland business acumen started falling apart. Now it is falling significantly ; they realize they may have almost killed the golden dragon and of course a business acumen that they do not understand and do not have.
They always believe in ruling with an iron fist and as you mentioned many good chinese business men have fled - the entire family of the former head Lam are in safe residence in UK!
and if as by coincidence Xi Jinping has decided to visit HK to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the handing over of HK to China - how time flies
However i doubt if this topic will ever be on public view - behind closed doors - nod nod wink wink - mustn’t let the world see you can’t manage a little place like HK! - watch out for bloomberg they will leak it?
apparently I am told on dubious authority from a youngish sprat I know in HK that Xi boyo is asking all businessmen how to kick start HK again - well it wasn’t all business men who effed it up in the first place was it it was effin Xi boyo. And it all started with the arrest of a bookshop owner who was selling anti communist books!! so stick that were the sun don’t shine Mr Xi
Lord Patten on BBC NEWS - “Mr Xi and his new man in HK wouldn’t know a democratic election if it smacked them round the head like a policeman’s truncheon” - or words to that effect. 
unfortunately you have used the bad word “democratic” and must go and sit on the naughty step now. Xi Jinping plays the game well - remains calm and talks sweet words - words that sound like democracy ; doing things for the common good - one of my contacts in HK is a true red on top of the bed and tells me Mr Xi is consulting with all top businessmen of all persuasions - that is not what bloomberg described it as. Talk nice to the world press and win some brownie points that’s what Mr Xi does well. Beware of unscrutable chinaman bearing gifts and platitudes!
believe who you will Xi tells his own story - we dealt with the chaos that HK had become - restored law and order and now we must march forward and restore business to HK and continue to honour the " one country two systems" structure ??? great example of double talk
+Ok so an exercise in bringing back faith in HK and it’s spoils and riches? - and surprise surprise nothing has really changed or watch my hands and I can make thing disappear - but no he did say One country that would be China and two systems the only question now is are they identical systems for HK and the mainland or as they once were different with a sort of pretend democracy but which kept everyone happy including the foreign taipans - it would be very interesting to do a recap now - no not capping the knees that is illegal and bloody painful - no a recap on how many business both local and foreign have departed HK - hm after the loo painting might have a go at that?