Hong Kong is struggling to restore its image as a global city
Efforts have been tripped up by nationalists
As China has struggled with reopening to the world, so too has Hong Kong. The former British colony has long branded itself “Asia’s world city”, a more international place than the mainland. But on top of the pandemic, a sweeping national-security law enacted in 2020 has crushed dissent and spooked foreigners. Some 34m tourists still visited last year, but that was only 57% of pre-pandemic numbers.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Messy for Messi”
From the February 17th 2024 edition
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