The Hong Kong government has taken out an advertisement overseas in Australia as it seeks to reassure investors the city is stable and the economy is strong, according to a Bloomberg report.
A full-page advertisement attributed to the government appeared in today’s edition of the Australian Financial Review, a publication aimed at the business community.
“You have read a lot, seen a lot, heard a lot about the events and protests in Hong Kong,” it starts. “But what you read, see, hear – or ‘share’ on social media – is just one piece of a complex social, economic and political jigsaw puzzle. It is a puzzle that we will solve on our own. And, it may take time.”
The ad points out that Hong Kong’s government is committed to “One Country, Two Systems”, has a tradition of peaceful protest, but rejects the use of violence.
“Despite recent disruptions, the fundamentals and institutional underpinning of our economy and society are strong,” the advertisement reads. “We remain a safe, open, welcoming and cosmopolitan society and an internationally connected, vibrant and dynamic economy. We will no doubt bounce back. We always do.”
Hong Kong has been gripped by the worst unrest, sparked by proposed legislation to allow extraditions to mainland China since the sovereignty of the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Protests have disrupted the global financial hub’s streets, subways, and airport, resulting in more than 1,100 arrests. For the government to quell three months of violence, the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam formally withdrew the extradition bill through a televised statement which has got spiral on social media.
Australia hosts a large number of Chinese immigrants, which has become engaged in the debate over Hong Kong’s future.
Rallies have been held in major cities such as Sydney and Melbourne as well as on university campuses, with tensions high between supporters of the mainland government and pro-Hong Kong democracy campaigners who have taken out their own newspaper ads in recent weeks.
