Lee Dismisses Absolute Poverty in HK

One of the rare occasions Lee smiles to promote Hong Kong

It's been one year since John Lee Ka-chiu became Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and what has he achieved in that time?

For one he is the face of Hello, Hong Kong, but sadly the permanent pained expression on his face has not motivated visitors to come to the city in droves as he and his government had hoped.

Last year at Lee's swearing-in ceremony with Xi

He seems confident that he can raise Hong Kong's global ranking which slipped from fifth to seventh place in this year's World Competitiveness Yearbook, which had previously won top spot in 2018.

However, as the political climate in the city deteriorates by the day, is it any wonder it will be an uphill challenge for Lee to even change people's perception of Hong Kong after the 2019 protests, the implementation of the national security law, shut down of Apple Daily, jailing over 10,000 people, and the departure of over 200,000 residents?

But he sounds like a broken record, reiterating what previous leaders have said when it comes to tackling serious issues like poverty and housing.

The Census and Statistics Department's latest numbers show that almost one-quarter of Hongkongers in 2020 or 1.6 million were facing poverty before taking into account government handouts.

Many elderly in Hong Kong are in poverty

While Lee claimed last year to have a poverty alleviation strategy, a recent survey had found less than 30 per cent of residents are satisfied with the government's measures.

Yet again the chief executive is studying how to define poverty.

"The poverty problem in Hong Kong is relative because absolute poverty does not exist in Hong Kong," Lee said. "But regardless of the statistical methodology used, it won't hinder the direction of the targeted measures in my policy address to tackle intergenerational poverty."

Why this constant need to define poverty when it's quite obvious when someone is in poverty by asking them how they manage to live day by day. Why does it have to be a numbers game. And for Lee to completely dismiss the possibility that absolute poverty exists in Hong Kong means he doesn't even recognise 1.6 million people exist.

When will Hong Kong get rid of cage homes?

Hong Kong is a wealthy city. Well it was before it spent billions on building the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, on police operations during the 2019 protests, propaganda exercises and so on. Imagine how say a few hundred million could help many people by building decent housing for the poor and helping them get back on their feet?

But no, the authorities don't want to admit there is poverty in Hong Kong and then by extension ignore one-quarter of the population.

This is Lee's attempt to sweep them under the carpet in order to get a good report card from Chinese leader Xi Jinping. 

Will be interesting to see what Xi says... better to have some concrete results, maybe, Mr Lee?

Fact of the Day: Hong Kong's Lowest in the World

Hong Kong doesn't offer enough incentives to have children

Hong Kong has a new reputation of having the lowest birthrate in the world.

This ranking is according to a report by the United Nation Population Fund that was released on April 19.

The Hong Kong government previously said the population dropped as students went overseas to study.

Hong Kong's birthrate continues to plunge

But now it can't hide the fact that there are very few babies being born in the city. Many young women have migrated elsewhere in light of the national security law and there are others who prefer to remain childless.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong's fertility rate dropped from 1,080 in 2018 to 772 in 2021.

In the latest financial budget released in late February, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po proposed increasing the the child allowance by HK$10,000 (US$1,275) to HK$130,000.

However, lawmakers to residents complained the amount was too little to cover the costs of raising a child in Hong Kong. Experts suggest giving financial aid is the best option -- provided the amount was enough.

"There is international evidence suggesting that financial incentives including tax incentives have a positive impact on fertility, and at least, may encourage couples to give birth earlier," said assistant professor Tan Poh Lin, who studies Singapore's low birth rate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

HK has a higher number of seniors than youth

However, Paul Yip Siu-fai, the chair professor in population health at the University of Hong Kong, said the government had yet to treat the low birth rate as "a matter of life and death" as the Singaporean government had.

"It will not work unless you invest a very large sum of money," he said.

Yip said the government should instead focus on improving people's quality of life to make them happier while improving work conditions for women.

Indeed. But will the government listen?

More HKers Leaving Continues for Third Year

Children under 10 have biggest drop, followed by those in 20s

In yet another sign that Hong Kong is seeing more people leave the city, its population has dropped for a third consecutive year, with a net outflow of 60,000 residents to 7.33 million in 2022.

According to official figures released on Thursday, the population dipped 0.9 percent from the year before, and births were a record low to 32,500. About 62,100 deaths were recorded in 2022, outweighing births by 29,600.

Send-offs all too common at the airport everyday

The net outflow of 60,000 residents as reported by the Census and Statistics Department indicates emigration from Hong Kong continues. This compares to 27,300 in 2021, when countries like the United Kingdom and Canada introduced dedicated pathways for Hongkongers.

The Hong Kong government would only say people left Hong Kong for various reasons including work, study and migration.

"The breakdown of figures is not available. Hong Kong residents travelling abroad are not required to declare to the government their purpose of travel. Therefore, the government does not have direct statistics on emigration of Hong Kong residents," the Census and Statistics Department said.

According to the UK Home Office earlier this month, 144,500 Hongkongers have successfully applied for British National (Overseas) visas to settle in the UK since the scheme's launch in 2021.

Countries like the UK welcome Hongkongers

Canada has seen nearly 17,400 get work permits or extensions since the start of the scheme since February 2021 until October 2022.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has launched a global campaign to attract top talent to Hong Kong, with a special visa for those who earn HK$2.5 million or more annually and graduates from the world's top 100 universities with relevant experience. So far 10,810 applications were received nearly two months after the launch.

It's elitist to think Hong Kong only needs these top tier talent -- it also needs the general workforce too... even if you attract top CEOs and such, who's going to executive their brilliant plans?

Emigration is "Inappropriate"

Huang says there are no stats on HK people moving abroad

In the past year, 113,000 people have left Hong Kong, either because of the never-ending pandemic restrictions, or because of the increasingly repressive environment, but Beijing refuses to acknowledge this drop in the population.

On Tuesday Huang Liuquan, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office instead said it was a number of factors which caused the decline.

"Hong Kong's population drop is caused by various factors and there is no way to suggest that it is a result of an emigration wave," he said, adding there were no official figures by the Census and Statistics Department showing the number of residents who have moved abroad.

113,000 people left Hong Kong in the past year

He also quoted a local government official who said Hong Kong was an international city and that the population was "highly mobile".

"From the population data announced by the city government and its spokesman's explanation, it is inappropriate to describe it as a wave of emigration that has emerged in Hong Kong," Huang said.

Then how do you explain the population drop to 7.29 million, down 1.6 percent from a year earlier, and the biggest drop since records began in 1961?

In addition, the labour force decreased to 3.75 million in June, the lowest figure in nearly a decade, and a 3.49 percent decline from the same period last year.

Huang can spin it all he wants, but it is clear to not only Hongkongers, but also to the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and Canada that they have left for a better life. Why else have young families sacrificed good jobs for their children's education, while young graduates and professionals see no future in Hong Kong?

But the more Huang and other Chinese officials say it, they hope their mantra will become fact.

However numbers do not lie... 

Hong Kong's Population Continues to Drop

Hongkongers will continue to leave in the next 2-3 years

Hong Kong's population continues to drop, as more than 113,000 people left the city in the past 12 months, a record 1.6 percent decrease in the population. It is the second straight annual decline in numbers.

The figure is from the Census and Statistics Department released on Thursday. Hong Kong's population fell to 7,291,600 from 7,413,100 from mid-2021. There were also 61,600 deaths and 35,100 births between mid-2021 and mid-2022, a decrease of 26,500 people.

The graph clearly illustrates the population plunge

Some of those deaths can be attributed to Covid-19 when a spate of elderly people passed away after contracting the virus in seniors' homes.

The decline to 7.29 million people was sharper than last year's 1.2 percent decrease.

Of course the Hong Kong government is trying to explain away the numbers, saying the drop in the population is due to people moving away for school and work, while strict quarantine measures have made it hard for people to come back or move there, and the birth rate has fallen further because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The authorities don't want to own up to the reality of why people are leaving, as someone on Twitter put it succinctly: "If 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong is such a success, there wouldn't be hoards of middle class in their 30s and 40s giving up what ought to be the start of the most economically lucrative stage of their lives to move to another place to start again or even semi-retire."

People in 30s and 40s leave HK to start over again

Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, a population health expert at the University of Hong Kong, predicts the emigration wave will continue for at least the next two to three years, as many residents are looking for ways to leave.

"The pull and push factors are in one direction, which go against Hong Kong," he said.

He called on the government to address the housing shortage as well as concerns about the city's overall development.

"Some people do not understand the national security law, they are really worried. So the government should explain the law clearly to allay their concerns. This is very important," he said.

Alas will the government heed Yip's advice, when the NSL is deliberately vague to scare people?