General Chamber of Commerce Leung Shau Kee: Hong Kong is far from returning to normal and complete customs clearance with the Mainland before it can restore its previous conditions

Leung Shau Kee, President of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, said on a commercial program this morning (2nd) that the business community hopes that the government will implement "0+0" quarantine on entry as soon as possible to allow passenger flow and large-scale international business activities to return to Hong Kong and promote the local economy to rebound, but admits that even if With the implementation of "0+0" this month and next month, the economy may not be able to benefit in the fourth quarter, at least until next year. He also believes that if Hong Kong does not fully clear customs with the mainland, it is believed that it will be difficult to restore the previous business conditions.

He also focused on the local talent crisis, arguing that there is a shortage of local labor at the high, middle and low levels. If the government does not carry out drastic reforms and there are not enough foreign workers to fill it, the business community will have to relocate their businesses to other places.

▼The first day of the implementation of the "0+3" quarantine arrangement on September 26▼

Says Hong Kong is 'far from normal' as borders with mainland remain

Leung Shau-kee pointed out that large-scale local events take about one or two months to prepare. If overseas business events are held in Hong Kong, it will take more time, and the relevant benefits will not be seen until the first quarter of next year.

He also cited an earlier member survey conducted by the General Chamber of Commerce, showing that about 30% of large enterprises indicated that they would consider or have already relocated from Hong Kong when the epidemic was severe in the first half of the year, and about 10% of them were permanently relocated, describing it as a very important " beep".

He said that Hong Kong still has a certain competitive advantage, but if some companies move their Asia-Pacific headquarters to Singapore, this is a medium-to-long-term matter. Based on the conditions of Hong Kong and Singapore, the situation cannot be reversed in the short term, so I hope Hong Kong After returning to normal, try to attract the company to come back.

Talking about the business environment in Hong Kong, he said: "You are talking about Hong Kong as usual? In fact, it is far from normal. Even if it is "0+0", basically you know that Hong Kong is a bridge between China and the West, even if it is a complete customs clearance to the outside world. There is a checkpoint in the mainland. It is always necessary to completely clear the customs (with) the mainland, and Hong Kong’s first arrival will really restore the previous conditions.”

In addition, Leung pointed out that the business community will wait and see what kind of preferential measures the government can provide to "snatch talents". He questioned that the threshold of Hong Kong's talent entry program in the past was too high, and focused on some very high-end talents, such as outstanding entrepreneurs, professionals in the industry However, if Hong Kong wants to develop a new innovation and technology industry, middle-level talents are the most important part. "If the threshold of the plan is set so high, it will not be able to compete with Singapore and London." He believes that the government must Only by changing the thinking of talent policy and importing a large number of middle and senior talents can we be competitive in the future.

He also believes that if the government relaxes visas and provides housing subsidies to attract talents to stay in Hong Kong for a long time, it will be a win-win situation for Hong Kong. Residents will suffer.

The decision to import talents has always been in the hands of the government. If the government does not actively relax, companies will not be able to do it. The best thing the business community can do is to "relocate to the second degree", and do business wherever there are people (jobs).

Leung Shau Kee, President of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

Refers to the current structural crisis in the economy that urgently needs to import foreign workers

Leung said with a wry smile that the number of young people in Hong Kong is higher than that of middle-aged and elderly people. "Everyone knows that (youth population) is about one-third of the elderly. How can we support the future workforce?" He also pointed to the current structural crisis in Hong Kong's economy, "Recently The unemployment rate is very low, but it is negative growth. This is really rare. In the past, if the economy had negative growth, the unemployment rate would go to 6% or 7%. Do, many companies can't find enough talent."

Leung Shau Kee pointed out that the problem of insufficient labor force spans all walks of life. According to a survey conducted by the General Chamber of Commerce last year, the local talents who leave the most are concentrated in the middle level. Many companies have formed a gap in experience. Several major structural crises emerged.

He understands that when it comes to importing foreign talents, local workers will be worried about bringing in competition and lowering wages, but he points out that the cost of doing business is too high, which is not good for the overall economy. Labor and the business community are "in the same boat."

He hopes that in the policy address, the government will make drastic reforms in the talent policy, especially starting from the import of foreign workers.

Liang Zhaoji.

(file picture)

It is a pity for the youth to resist the development of the north

Leung also mentioned that in the past, Hong Kong played the role of a bridge between China and the West, but with the threat of anti-globalization, epidemics and war, Hong Kong urgently needs to find a new position.

Among the young people in Hong Kong, Leung Shau Kee pointed out that based on the experience of the business community, it seems that they may not be very keen on the mainland market. On the contrary, many people in Western countries are more enthusiastic about the development of the mainland than the young people in Hong Kong.

"The mobility of young people in Hong Kong is very low. Unless they have studied in the mainland or have relatives in the mainland, they basically have no desire to work in the mainland for a long time." He bluntly said that the business community feels pity for this attitude of the new generation, because the mainland The market is a big trend, and it is also a good opportunity to achieve the career of young people.

"It would be a shame to lose such a great opportunity because of ideological (morphological) resistance."

He also pointed out that the mainland has changed a lot in the past 30 years. Of course, different people have different views on whether it is the most ideal country, but the country is indeed constantly developing. Hong Kong people need to strive for opportunities. The city is not going to grow by leaps and bounds.

0+3｜General Chamber of Commerce Leung Shau Kee: Hope to push 0+0 as soon as possible to attract backflow of activities, but it is expected that 10% of them have not returned +3︱The General Chamber of Commerce hopes that the government will push "0+0" as soon as possible: returning to normal customs clearance is the key to retaining enterprises