“Vaccine pass already hurting business at struggling Hong Kong restaurants just hours after launch, industry representative says”

• Chief of catering industry body says business at his restaurant group was down 40 per cent in the wake of the scheme’s introduction

Having owned and run a similar restaurant business I can say that losing 40% of revenue, you go from 5% profit to 35% loss.  It’s a fine margin business. You can’t carry on for long with those levels of losses. 

And that loss is 100% due to stupid Vaccine passport and “LeaveHomeSafe” App mandates  by our very own Hong Kong government. 

Even the BBC knows the vaccine passports don’t work. And they also gave up using a tracing App, after a huge “Pingdemic” rendered them useless. From my comment at the site:

BBC 2 days ago: "There is no evidence that the use of Covid passports stopped the spread of the virus". 

Vaccine take up [in Hong Kong] is lowest amongst the elderly [28%] who are also the most vulnerable. So rather than demanding vax passports -- and destroying the FnB industry -- how about concentrating on getting the elderly vaxxed? Like give them the $10k handout only if vaxxed (or w valid medical exemption)  

That was comment on the article in the post title.  The $10k reference is that the government announced yesterday they will hand out another $HK10,000 to all permanent residents, which includes us. They do it by crediting our contactless Octopus card, which we can use for pretty much any cash purchase. But they give it our regardless of vax status. Which seems pretty silly. Only some 28% of people over 70 are vaxxed. I don’t know why, though I suspect it’s fear of the vaccine. $10k would go a long way to easing their fears. We don’t need the hammer of a vaccine passport. Rather the fine tool of crisp cash.

I have my vax as a QR code on my phone, so I’m fine, bit it’s the principle of the thing. And knowing these “passports” don’t work and didn’t substantially increase vaccine rates where they were used. While we ignore the clear incentive of cash.

ADDED: There is zero incentive to use the “LeaveHomeSafe” tracing app or vaccine passports. In fact there’s a huge disincentive. The only outcome possible is negative. If you’re somewhere that turns out to have had a person with Omicron, you have to go to a quarantine facility for two or three weeks. And they’re pretty dire. No choice to stay at home. Regardless of vax status.

We are long past the early days of this pandemic, when people would undertake the huge inconvenience of 21 days quarantine for  “the greater good”. We don’t buy that “we are at war” as Chief-exec Carrie Lam insists. No, we can see other places are “at peace”. We’re wise to the fact that being vaccinated — as we all are, triple vaxxxed — and with the Omicron variant, our chances of being hospitalised, let alone dying, are low. But being vaccinated has no reward. If we’re traced as being near someone, via  “LeaveHomeSafe”, we’re banged up in Penny’s Bay. Bummer. So why use the App? We all try not to. Everyone I know tries to avoid it. If it’s mandatory, as it is as of yesterday,  people will stay home more. Thus destroying the F&B industry. 

With mandatory testing of everyone of our 7.4 million coming soon, they may find up to 800,000 people with Omicron. All being put in quarantine. Where? They only have room for 10 or 20 thousand.  

Madness. Incoherent, unscientific Madness. It’s not “following the science”. It’s kowtowing to Beijing. 

ADDED: Meanwhile people are leaving Hong Kong. Where Jing has the most upvoted comment:

Jing L: The plan for mass compulsory testing and quarantine is overkill. The government should focus on protecting the most vulnerable (mostly old people in care homes) instead of punishing the general public that is vaccinated.

“Biden and US hawks must understand China before waving the democratic torch” | Jing Lee

Click above for the article

The geopolitical map of our time is unsettling. World politics is entering a new phase, and many politicians and intellectuals have not hesitated to proliferate visions of what it should be: a clash of civilisations, the end of history, the decline of the nation-state, and the return of traditional rivalries between nations. [Read on …]

Jing again in the Op-Ed pages of our South China Morning Post. Links above or also Web Archive.

Many of the commenters support her thesis (we must understand China). My own simplistic response to the thesis is: Assume we do fully understand China and its history, what then? Do we treat it with more empathy and softness? Would that get any useful response from Beijing/Xi? Or just encourage assertiveness (aka aggressiveness or bullying)? Also: Don't forget China's (Xi's) "Document 9".

A US-based [Reader] comments (indent) and author [JL] response (flush left), below:

‘Why in US eyes, China’s maritime ambition can only appear as a threat’ | Jing Lee

Jing's latest article was published as the top piece in the op-Ed page of today's South China Morning Post. 

Arguing for greater knowledge of each other's histories, cultures and geo-political drivers. True dat, but hard, in an age of Twitter…

She’s now a bit of a regular in the op-ed pages. Click on the “Jing” label below for the other writings. Or click here.

I’ll paste the whole article below the fold…

"What does the US have to gain from new cold war with China?” | Jing Lee

 

Jing Lee in the Opinion pages of today’s South China Morning Post.

Sub-headline: Instead of starting another cold war or falling into a Thucydides Trap,the US – and China – should rise above the kind of great power rivalry that has led to bloodshed in the past and address the perilous state of global affairs.

Text:

There is a consensus that Washington has woken up to the Chinese threat, and that a new cold war is inevitable – if, in fact, it has not yet begun.

Regardless of the different paths that the United States and China have taken, John Mearsheimer projected that China’s journey to modernisation would mimic America’s march to hegemony. In his theory of offensive realism, the international system is anarchic and states are driven to seek world domination. Graham Allison has also warned of a Thucydides Trap, in which the great power rivalry inevitably ends in bloodshed. Read on...

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Jing Lee is a Hong Kong-based investment banker and lawyer. She has held senior management positions with various global financial groups, and has over 30 years’ experience of financial-market-related matters in the Asia-Pacific region.

‘Hong Kong protests are a call for a rethink of its foundational laissez-faire economic model and immigration policy’ | Jing Lee

Click to enlarge and clarity

Jing's article in today's paper…

Jing’s letter to the South China Morning Post | "Is this a Machiavellian play?"

We’re kind of cranky with the Pan-democrats....

Is this a Machiavellian play?

As a concerned HK resident, I have spent many sleepless nights watching the street violence livestream online, listening various political figures’ comments and reading as many analyses as possible.

I am disappointed at the government’s indecision and ineffectiveness while our city is sliding into anarchy. Many well meaning and concerned commentators and residents are trying to provide advice and critique. It looks all hopeless as our city is sliding into chaos and confusion. 

The political stalemate continues with no solution in sight while the street violence is ongoing and the vandalisation has expanded from public properties to companies and private businesses. People are worried who would be targeted next.

I have been an apolitical person and have taken the prosperity of our city for granted until now.

For the first time, I started to pay attention to the representatives of various political parties and what they are saying. One thing stands out is that the facts on the street, common sense and logical don’t seem to apply to some key figures from the opposition politicians. 

I have watched them ignoring the facts, representing unfounded allegations as truths to foreign politicians and think-tanks and making illogical comments to concerned and confused public. I watched one of their leading figures holding a picture of the girl with eye injury as evidence of police brutality and human right abuse on his American tour before we know what was actually happened, and the rumour of “three missing persons” has become 8.31 war crime. 
They accuse police inciting violence when the facts are the other way around according to the unedited livestream online. 
They also criticise the MTR failing to provide services when it is common sense that the MTR facilities have been constantly vandalised at a massive scale and we should be surprised that these hard working staff have kept it functioning at all. 
Furthermore, the legal arguments they present to public do not make sense for any legally-trained mind. Riding on an anti-China sentiment and youth violence on the street, they seem confident and self assured. 

But why are they doing this? Is this a Machiavellian play at the cost of our city?

JING letter published: "Hong Kong protesters are far from superheroes despite how some media and politicians present them"

A protester in Captain America bloc

LETTER TO SCMP FROM JING

Belief in a liberal, open and tolerant society has long been a cherished world ideal.

However, ever since Francis Fukuyama declared "the end of history" in 1989, we have witnessed the deterioration of the liberal order, the rise of populism and great power politics, followed by trade wars.

We are still digesting these global instabilities. Compared with many places in the world, including the great cities of the West, Hong Kong remains a rich and prosperous place. However, Hong Kong's Achilles' heel is its identity crisis after 150 years of British colonial rule. It seems that a superiority complex has taken hold of some of its young people, making them vulnerable to being incited by radical ideas.

Taking advantage of an open and tolerant society, they have spent the summer creating an alternative reality on social media, playing superheroes on the street, flying foreign flags, carrying Captain America shields and wearing Batman-inspired black clothing. Hiding behind face masks and wielding umbrellas, they throw bricks at police, spray graffiti, vandalise government buildings and disrupt public transport.

This is not a fight for Hong Kong's future. It is misguided anger turned against its own people.

It is irresponsible for some sections of the media to cheer on the protesters and for some politicians to use the protests to pursue their vested interests. This political theatre in the name of democracy has brought chaos, tears and hopelessness to our city.

Jing Lee, Central