Opinion: Is Hong Kong ready for border reopening?
AsianInvestorDec 14, 2022
This week, Hong Kong will continue relaxing nearly all of the COVID restrictions that currently remain in place. This move comes on the heels of mainland China abandoning its "zero-COVID" policy.
On Wednesday, John Lee, the city's leader, announced that Hong Kong would be dropping the mandatory PCR testing requirement for international arrivals. The restriction went into effect in 2020 and will be dropped from Thursday.
Hong Kong should turn its focus to its financial future. Many deals that were on the table before the pandemic have been halted while waiting for the reopening. Investors may remain leery at first, but it's up to Hong Kong and the mainland to plan properly and prudently for a successful and fruitful reopening.
COVID restrictions weren't the only crackdown that took place in Hong Kong throughout the pandemic. Other issues continued to brew amid Beijing's new national security law and subsequent authoritarian crackdown. Hong Kong may claim order has been restored but international tensions have increased, which could prove troublesome for a city trying to rebound from COVID.