Originally Posted by
Topcare
yup. China saw the pandemic as the opportunity it needed. And the world was too busy dealing with their own problems to care. Agreed. Sad to see CX on its deathbed. Most of my relatives have now left. Some who now regret not having left sooner.
Christopher Patton had remarked that it was a matter of honor that the UK would, at the very least, make an honest effort to ensure the PRC adhere to the deal they had agreed to in good faith. Of course, this means some sort of adjudication in the UN (I haven't the foggiest what this would mean), but I have no doubt that any world power (the Middle Kingdom has indeed arrived and taken her place as the world's 2nd power, and soon to be the only other super power along with the United States) would simply ignore the UN should any of them find their rulings unfavorable.
Originally Posted by
bpk6h
My opinion on this - Banks and law firms will keep a presence but most likely at reduced levels. As for MNCs, the rationale to be HK based is simply not there anymore and has been declining for a number of years. Singapore already had the pre-pandemic lead of MNC APAC HQs and will only further solidify that position as there just aren't too many other reasonable choices in region. If you are looking at an APAC footprint these days, it's most likely a Singapore HQ where China is handled from regional offices within China (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, etc). It's looking likely that HK won't even be the Greater Bay centre...that is Shenzhen. I have HK PR but I don't think there's a job there that would get me to leave SG at this point. Will still happily travel to HK for a weekend to see friends... although I have come to prefer exploring China if thinking about a family holiday...the Mainland just has so much more to offer in terms of cultural sites or unique places to stay which is where my personal travel preferences are.
As for CX, it's indeed sad. I was a CX DM for a number of years and that will probably remain my favorite flying experience/period. Although, I think there was a group of us that would agree that the old Dragonair runs to China were the best in terms of service and food. I loved the KA A330 flights. After a few wall to wall days in China, hopping onto that A330 in F or J to head home to HK was my happy place. Those memories are safe from any politicians!
I agree with all of your points. Likewise, those KA A330 flatbed flights into the Mainland from HKG were fantastic, and the crew were all excellent along with the food on board. While initially hesitant, I had quickly realized they were fantastic outfit, and some of my KA experiences were better than CX's. The one thing that I'll sorely miss about CX is the comfort in knowing that anywhere in the world, so long as it's a CX flight, I will have assurances that we can easily converse in English, Cantonese and/or a mixture of both, along with never being surprised by the customs, etiquette and the way things are done on board. For me, I'm not sure that will be true of any foreign (foreign to the US, that is) other airline, ever again.