Hong Kong is back and raring to go

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland removed the ceiling on the number of people who could cross over at the Lo Wu checkpoint beginning Feb 6.

In order to boost tourism and population flow, Hong Kong also sent 700,000 free airline tickets to global tourists and local residents. In the words of a local official, the metropolis is coming back to how things were before the pandemic.

For a long time, the COVID-19 pandemic had cast a negative impact on Hong Kong's economy. On Feb 1, the HKSAR government estimated that local production in 2022 had dropped by 3.5 percent compared with 2021; the number of visitors too dropped sharply to just 604,600.

The reopening of customs will fulfill Hong Kong people's expectations of a better economy. Just as local officials predicted, businesses, tourism travel and other economic activities have accelerated, while cross-border transportation has increased, which has also helped Hong Kong's exports to recover. CNN quoted a Goldman Sachs report saying Hong Kong might see a growth rate of 3.5 percent this year.

The world pays attention to Hong Kong because it is an international financial, navigation and trade center, as well as a bridge that links the Chinese mainland with the rest of the world. The HKSAR government has already predicted over 250 meetings and exhibitions to be held in Hong Kong this year, with hundreds of thousands of business tourists attending those. Further, with its economy gradually recovering, overseas investment in Hong Kong will grow, too, while the mainland companies will have greater need for financing and overseas trade there.

Hong Kong is rendering efforts toward further recovery, too. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has been visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to contribute further to the Belt and Road Initiative. As an international finance center, Hong Kong will help the two nations with their investments, while its ongoing efforts of building an international innovation and cultural exchange center will help the latter extend their cultural influences, too.

Good news has been arriving one after another. According to Standard and Poor's, the purchasing managers' index for Hong Kong's manufacturing sector rose 51.2 percent in January, the first time it has expanded since August 2022. Hong Kong will continue prospering, a condition that benefits itself and the world.