{"id":2447,"date":"2021-09-29T15:22:21","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T07:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/?p=2447"},"modified":"2021-09-29T15:25:04","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T07:25:04","slug":"border-discussions-less-than-fruitful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hant\/%e7%b6%b2%e8%aa%8c\/border-discussions-less-than-fruitful\/","title":{"rendered":"Border discussions less than fruitful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hong Kong, 29 September 2021: <\/strong>Our Urban Renewal Authority has upset the applecart in recent days by unveiling a radical blueprint \u2013 four years in the making \u2013 to overhaul two old and densely built districts, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok. The scheme, hailed as \u201cthinking out of the box\u201d by urban planners and supported by the government, would see relaxed planning restrictions, more open areas and new blocks of subsidised housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The masterplan includes a proposal to relocate the historic Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market, which has operated at the corner of Waterloo Road and Reclamation Street since 1913, to a nearby street and transform its current site into a tourist attraction that would be fruit retail only. All well and good, except nobody informed the vendors who work there. \u201cThe URA\u2019s idea is not feasible because retail and wholesale cannot be separated,\u201d fumed Cheung Chi-cheong, Vice-Chairman of the Kowloon Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Association, adding that his organisation only heard about the proposal when it was presented to the Legislative Council last Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

District Councillor Derek Chu was also unimpressed, but for different reasons. Looking at the bigger picture, he noted nothing was being done to systematically repair old buildings in the two districts. The URA study covers 212 hectares and some 3,350 buildings, of which 65% are at least 50 years old, with a significant number containing some of this city\u2019s notorious sub-divided flats. He has a point. Our Chief Executive Carrie Lam has, after all, pledged to make Hong Kong\u2019s chronic housing shortage her top priority in the final year of her term, although this does leave some observers wondering what she\u2019s been focusing on until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing aside, Carrie & Co\u2019s more immediate concern is reopening the border \u2013 effectively closed due to Covid-19 for the past 18 months \u2013 with mainland China. To this end, Chief Secretary John Lee led a delegation to Shenzhen last weekend for \u201cconstructive\u201d talks with Beijing officials, although there was little to set pulses racing. The hopeful Hongkongers were told they must improve in three areas \u2013 screening of inbound travellers, the quarantine system and the city\u2019s overall approach to risk \u2013 in order to pave the way for \u2026 yes, you guessed it \u2026 further discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur focus is to build a strong foundation to increase the mainland\u2019s confidence in Hong Kong,\u201d said Mr Lee, although he did not directly answer questions on whether a date for reopening the border had been set. One of Carrie\u2019s top advisors, Executive Council member Bernard Chan, admitted there were no clear steps Hong Kong could take to convince Beijing to throw open the gates: \u201cOur hands are tied. You have to meet their standards, and the trouble right now is, we\u2019re not so sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, folks, we\u2019re stuck with this administration\u2019s zero-Covid strategy \u2013 and accompanying draconian quarantine regulations \u2013 for the foreseeable future. From everything I have read and heard so far, I expect it will be another six months at least before we see a significant shift in policy, and many of my friends share this opinion. All this amid mounting evidence that zero-Covid is simply not sustainable. To this end, I offer this short blog<\/a> from OT&P Healthcare\u2019s Dr Tim Trodd as the latest required reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our city\u2019s vaccination programme, meanwhile, continues to wane, as many observers predicted it would once enthusiasm for incentives offered in a blaze of publicity by the business community dried up. Just over 60% of the population have received at least one jab. However, the number of doses being administered daily has dropped to 22,000 (compared with a high of almost 70,000 in early July) and some two-thirds of these are second doses. To put it in perspective, just 7,051 citizens received their first dose yesterday. At this rate, the statisticians have calculated, we won\u2019t reach the much-hyped \u201c70% for herd immunity\u201d figure until after Christmas. In any case, many health professionals will tell you the 70% goal is mythical, what really counts is who has been vaccinated. Our elderly citizens have the lowest inoculation rates of all groups. Less than 40% of those in their 70s and just 14.3% of those aged 80 or older have received at least one shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the more venerable members of our community who has lost absolutely none of his sharpness or wit is the esteemed barrister Clive Grossman SC, who was on top form when he joined me for the latest episode<\/a> of our Law & More podcast. His stories about the law and witchcraft during his early legal career in Rhodesia are especially eye-opening. Please listen when you have time. While Clive is in the glorious autumn of his distinguished career, someone just setting out is my colleague Claire Chow, who was admitted as a solicitor<\/a> this past weekend. On behalf of all at BC&C, I offer her my sincere congratulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In closing, I should salute an unusual event last Saturday called \u201cThe Wave\u201d, organised by reluctant guests at one of our city\u2019s quarantine hotels. More than 100 individuals staying at the Nina Hotel Island South stood at their windows facing the hill behind the property and waved at family, friends and strangers, who had shown up to return the gesture. Well done to all involved and I hope it relieved the tedium for those incarcerated. After all, as our Yau Ma Tei fruit vendors can attest, being on the receiving end of Hong Kong officialdom is enough to drive you bananas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay safe and well, everybody!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colin Cohen<\/strong>
Senior Partner<\/strong>
Boase Cohen & Collins<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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