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INDEX OF ARTICLES BY PHILIP BOWRING
Since 1856 business interests have consistently opposed representative government. For full story click here
Xi's praise for Mao, Confucius and tycoons sends a weird message to Hongkong. For full story click here
Sense of destiny and warped history and genetics drive China's southward sea expansion. For full story click here
Hongkong's poverty and pensions. Do not confuse them. One is immediate, one longer term. For full story click here
How to spread Hongkong wealth? Sell much public housing and commercial assets. For full story click here
The downing of MH17 reveals Malay contradictions -- and the west's role in fuelling them. For full story click here
Nonsense about FX reserves underlines thebankruptcy of Hongkong government thinking. For full story click here
The nation state is in trouble as borders drawn from collapsed empires prove fragile. For full story click here
Singapore's merits are overshadowed by reliance on an army of underpaid foreign serfs. For full story click here
Race is raising it head as China lauds Han genes. Other Asians appeared demeaned. For full story click here
Macau is setting an appaling example of inquality before the law. Is Hongkong next? For full story click here
China's show of sharp teeth for South China Sea grabs alarms non-Han nations. For full story click here
Low wages reflect appaling income distribution and are a major cause of poverty. For full story click here
Very good and very bad news this week. The deal with Iran and China's air defence zone. For full story click here
America's supposed tilt to Asia is, like US prestige, undermined by local politics. For full story click here
The timidity of Hong Kong leaders contrasts with the bold visions on the mainland. For full story click here
Behaviour of Hongkong officials and politicians to Manila is a bubble of self--importance. For full story click here
Donald Tsang's bizarre attempt to meet the Pope shows up the wider arrogance of officialdom. For full story click here
Hongkong's most influential person is now Lau Wong-fat, feudal lord of the New Territories. For full story click here
Car owners are being coddled at vast expense to the public and in contravention of the law. For full story click here
Tough decisions needed to deal with land supply. Gold and the Heung Yee Kuk must lose. For full story click here
The West shows decreasing commitment to ideals and consistency. A backbone is missing. For full story click here
The role of the sea is changing but geography remains Hongkong's number one asset. For full story click here
A Marine Department Investigation shows up the injustice inflicted by arrogant judges on a Ukrainian sea captain. For full story click here
America's fixation with Edward Snowden is damaging important relatisonships, not least with Russia over Syria. For full story click here
China needs to focus less on Asia and more on its positive global role, Hongkong more on Asia and less on China. For full story click here
Maritime law is in a mess as court invents navigation rules and Marine officials evade prosecution for gross negligence. For full story click here
Taiwan displays Han chauvinism in over-reaction to killing of fisherman by Philippine coastguard. For full story click here
The inquiry into a ferry tragedy is thorough but misused by the government to scapegoat mariners and protect officials. For full story click here
North Korea is as unpredictable as ever but changes under the new leader could make it ab even bigger problem for China. For full story click here
Thanks to judges as well as government Hongkong is drifting away from its commitments to free trade and racial equality. For full story click here
Justice at a discount as minor players in Hongkong get long sentences while mainland money launderers remain free. For full story click here
The spat across the Sulu sea over Sabah is just one of many historical issues lurking below the east Asian surface. For full story click here
Hongkong can maintain its lead in China by expanding its role as exemplar: eg policies reversing the abysmal fertility rate. For full story click here
Sleaze and Corruption will be the main beneficiaries of company law changes to hide identities in the name of privacy. For full story click here
Hopes for Change from CY Leung are dashed as the same policies and same faces and vested interests reappear in most policies. For full story click here
What should be in CY Leung's first annual policy speech. Much scope for new initiatives. For full story click here
A Balance Sheet for 2012: Good Progress in Myanmar and the Philippines, New Dangers from China's sea demands For full story click here
CY Leung would earn good marks if he focused on clearing up the obvious messes left behind by his predecessor. For full story click here
China's 100 years of humilation at western and other hands was paralleled by huge expansion of the Han people. For full story click here
Extra tax on non-residents flat buying is a dangerous precedent and typical of knee-jerk government. For full story click here
Means testing is necessary in addressing the problems of the poorest -- mostly the old, and young families. For full story click here
Lamma Ferry tragedy should spur broader look at Hongkong's maritime potential For full story click here
The China-Japan rift endangers Asian economic cohesion. Netanyahu another danger. For full story click here
Hongkong's 2012 election shows democrats in need of better tactics and cohesion. For full story click here
The Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute could have bigger hidden implications -- the Ryukyus. For full stiory click here
London's Olympic Big Bang reminds of an earlier one which is now fading. For full story click here
The One Child policy was unncessary and cruel. But ending it will not help fertility. For full story click here
An alarming decline is evident in the integrity of a self-gregarding civil srvrice elite For full story click here
Commodity prices: Now for the long downcycle in iron, coal, copper etc For full story click here
HK SAR at Fifteen: Dearth of Democracy inhibits solving known problems. For full story click here
Beware China's agressive stances raising ethnic antagonisms in southeast Asia. For full story click here
Stop worrying about civil service morale. Bureaucrats need shaking up. For full story click here
China's sea claims ignore the history of the non-Chinese who own most of the coastline. For full story click here
The BRIC nations actions on trade make them more hindrance than help for the world. For full story click here
After years of stasis under Donald Tsang, CY Leung must rock some boats in Hongkong. For full story click here
History matters, alike for societies and businesses. Hongkong's deficit is worrying. For full story click here
The deep flaws in the system as well as Henry Tang's failures shown by the election. For full story click here
Tang's trust deficit is so huge that he must be unelectable even by a warped system. For full story click here
The 2012/13 budget is another wasted opportunity and an undermining of fiscal pricniples. For full story click here
The mainland mother issue is hiding the need for policies on population and fertility. For full story click here
Hongkong's identity is stronger than Party which confuses China with the PRC would like. For full story click here
King Kim III will have a hard time keeping his head or reforming. Others may want power, or just survival not a dynasty. For full story click here
Mutual backscratching and the primacy of political influence over equal law enforcement have become endemic. For full story click here
Saving through bank accounts have been a disaster for low income groups while government and developers profit at their expense. For full story click here
Europe's debt grovel to China and others is remarkable for being unneccessary. Rich Europeans can afford to help the poor. For full story click here
Two names high on the list of possible successors to Donald Tsang are seriously underqualified princeling turncoats -- Rita Fan and Henry Tang For full story click here
China's pushy policy on the South China Sea has offended neighbours and brought in the US.. Softer words now may be too late. For full story click here
Lee Kuan Yew's retirement is time to measure where HK s against a Singapore which is authoritarian but clean and less run by vested interests. For full story click here
The 21st may be the Asian Century but there is a lot of work to do alike in rich Asia, middle income Asian and poor Asian to meet the forecast. For full story click here
The Ombudsman's data on illegal building point to rampant sleaze in New Territories administration and the role of the Heung Yee Kuk. For full story click here
HK Government support for sovreign immunity for the Congo in a commercial case undermines a legal pillar of the Two Systems. For full story click here
The US is sending an ethnic Chinese as Beijing ambassador thinking this is good diplomacy. It actually sends a bad, racially tinged message. For full story click here
The Arab revolt could have economic implications for east Asia. Can this region get its act together and compete in western markets? For full story click here
Regina Ip's formation of the New People's Party is a reminder that Hongkong has too many parties already and too few policy ideas. For full story click here
Hongkong's 2011 budget is a shambles, a bunch of petty handouts without any logic or relationship to a sustainable fiscal policy. For full story click here
Some proposals for making Hongkong's tax system achieve social and fiscal objectives and allocating reserves to those who earned them. For full story click here
More evidence of the crony links of civil servants to the corporate oligarchs whose dominance of policy damages real business enterprise. For full story click here
It is time to revisit the HK dollar peg to the US dollar. A peg to a basket would benefit the economy and underpin Hongkong's autonomy. For full story click here
The claim to have spent HK$29 billion on fighting pollution is an illusion. Even if it were true it is a fraction of outlays for unneeded infrastructure. For full story click here
The HKMA continues to treat its HK$600 billion surplus and private property not part of public assets. Wake up Legislators! For full story click here
Sanctions against the regime in Burma achieved little but isolate the people. Recent elections were phony but present a chance of change. For full story click here
The Wikileaks revelations of cables isan embarassment for but they also show the US diplomats as mostly benign and their judgements sensible. For full story click here
China nationalism is antagonising its neighbours and encouraging their US links. Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Korea.. For full story click here
Hong Kong official and media responses to the Manila hostage tragedy was a distrurbing relfection on attitudes to its servant population. For full story click here
There are many ways the government can help narrow the yawning and socially divisive earnings gap. The budget is an opportunity. For full story click here
Asia needs trade and defence re-think before Uncle Sam stops being so benevolent. For full story click here
A mixture of arrogance and fear underlie China's currency peg policy. For full story click here
Policies on land sales and use are the root of Hongkong's rising income and wealth gaps. For full story click here
Donald Tsang's governance rests on gestures and PR not on substantial policies. For full story click here
Threats against Iran by US politicians are based on over-blown ideas of US power. For full story click here
America's kretek ban is petty hypocrisy which gives the nation a bad name. For full story click here
Greedy senior civil servants wants to retire at 60 so they can make more money. For full story click here
The Communist Party's United Front has become a front for sleaze and feudalism. For full story click here
Excess profits of oligopolies are a drag on Hongkong's economy. For full story click here
Malaysia's new prime minister's brief honeymoon from racial divides. For full story click here
Han chauvinism is alive and well, including in supposedly multi-ethnic Hongkong. For full story click here
More empty words from Hongkong's government on how to spur the economy. For full story click here
The Legislature should approve the HK$33 billion for the Chiang Mai Initiaitive despite lack of transparency but demand major reforms at the HKMA. For full story click here
In silently agreeing to pay HK$33 billion to China's contribution to the Chiang Mai Initiative fund the government has undermined Hongkong's fiscal autonomy. For full story click here
A new study reveals the importance of geographical and social mobility in Hongkong's success. But events show the government pushing in the other direction. For full story click here
Official appointments continue to demonstrate how Hongkong is being increasingly tied up in a web woven by a bureaucratic and feudal elite. For full story click here
Donald Tsang goes crying to Beijing for economic help for rich Hongkong. A 14-item response includes moves which undermine its Two System status. For full story click here
Hongkong seeks government supervision of the internet by seizing control of the domain name authority. International users avoid the city. For full story click here
Here is a list of suggestions for the size and direction of government spending, using reserves help Hongkong through the global downturn. For full story click here
The semi-government Bauhinia Foundation plugs policies for Pearl River Delta integration which threaten Hongkong's separate status. For full story click here
Asia is in better shape than most but still will have big problems adjusting to the collapse of demand by western customers and of commodity prices. For full story click here
Donald Tsang's response to a weakening economy is ill-judged, focusing on politically-driven, grandiose infrastructure projects of scant economic merit. For full story click here
As the world heads for recession China's strong trade position and massive reserves give it an opportunity tolead and to help.But it may not take it. For full story click here
The government yet again bow to developer interests as yet more outsize buildings threaten Hongkong's famous Repulse Bay beach. For full story click here
Russian invasion of Georgia supposedly on behalf of Ossetians has lessons for Europe and the US, and also for Asian countries with minority issues. For full story click here
The Olympics is turning out as feared -- a medal-biased monument to nationalism and commercialism which overshadows individual achiement. For full story click here
Anwar Ibrahim has again been accused of sodomy. But this latest move in Malaysia's power struggle is covering up a murder which touches rival Najib. For full story click here
Official focus on the Pearl River delta ignores the challenges Shenzhen and Taiwan pose for a Hongkong which forgets its international roots. For full story click here
Hongkong has woken to Islamic finance. It is not well placed by geography or culture but lack of vision by officials is also to blame for a very late start. For full story click here
A former top official has admitted it: Hongkong's health is put at risk because a venal government caves in to lobbyists posing as legislators. For full story click here
Unofficials in the Executive Council have huge conflicts of interest. Most notorious is developers' bag carrier and official favorite Ronald Arculli. For full story click here
The flood tragedy in Myanmar and soaring global food prices both show the follies of anti-market subsidies and restrictions which cripple farmer initiatives. For full story click here
The powerful profit from prostitution through print adverts. So government goes after a website catering to the lower end of the sex market. For full story click here
The Olympics have become too big, costly, nationalistic and politicised. Some proposals to reduce sports and medals but retain the key events. For full story click here
Malaysians have overcome racial divides to unite against cronyism and abuse of power. No wonder Hongkong political and business elite fears democracy. For full story click here
The Hongkong Monetary Authority has almost become a law unto itsself. But it its HK$600 billion net assets should be public funds not a slush fund. For full story click here
The 2008 Hongkong Budget appears to be generous but is actually a giveaway to upper and middle income groups and a further squeeze on the bottom 50%. For full story click here
Outrage at the previous column on collusion between government and business, in some cases involving corruption, shows official unwillingness to face facts. For full story click here
A congratultory advertisement to Macau gambling godfather Stanley Ho shows how far Hongkong's elite will go to glorify and protect each other regardless. For full story click here
David Li Kuok-po has resigned from government after the Dow Jones insider trading affair. But responses from Hongkong's mega wealth clans show no remorse. For full story click here
Facing another huge budget surplus, some suggestions for how HK can use it to reduce inequality and shore up health and welfare for an aging society. For full story click here
Hongkong is being hobbled by the arrogance, ignorance and collusion/corruption infecting the senior levels of the bureaucratic and quango elite. For full story click here
Hongkong's population projections consistently ( or deliberately?) show exaggerated expections and lead to wrong government investment decisions. For full story click here
Whoever wins the Taiwan legislative and presidential elections, cross-straits relations will improve as will the economy and stockmarket. For full story click here
Income distribution in Hongkong measured by the Gini coefficient is getting to Latin American levels. The government can reverse the trend: Here's how. For full story click here
Corruption is not the only way for officials to become overnight billionaires in China. Join the IPO gravy train and get cheap shares during a bull market. For full story click here
Hypocrisy is needed to hold political parties together. But Hongkong Communists go to an extreme in their use of patriotism to justify almost anything. For full story click here
When facts change it is wise to change policies. But China is resisting changing its population policy and Hongkong's its official worship of property developers. For full story click here
China's push for increased economic and political ties with Africa is undertandable. But memories of Zhou Enlai's 1964 tour remind one of Africa's many pitfalls. For full story click here
Like those of Macao, Hongkong's per capita GDP figures give an exaggerated picture of actual levels o average disposable income and living standards. For full story click here
Donald Tsang appointments reward the same in-group of cronies and political supporters rather than widen participation in government. For full story click here
The retreat of world stockmarkets following US sub-prime loan problems was not surprising. But with liquidity and surpluses most of Asia has defensive strgength. For full story click here
Hongkong's Financial Secretary Henry Tang's budget offers a few morsels of pork to those who do not need it and makes income distribution worse. For full story click here
John Howard's luck is running out as Labor's new leader Kevin Rudd leaps in the polls and Barack Obama exposes Oz hypocrisy over troops for Iraq. For full story click here
Ignoring ex-President de Klerk while Hu Jintao is making friends in Africa shows the parochialism of Hongkong's bureaucratic and business leaders. For full story click here
Prosecution of an academic for cheating on a housing allowance shows the hypocrisy of a bureaucracy which awards itself almost identical tax perks. For full story click here
The bureaucratic elite headed by Tsang have dangerous illusion about their competence. By instinct prone to cronyism, they are followers not leaders. For full story click here
The weight of Paulson's China delegation raises expectation too high, and indicates a US obsession with China while other Asian issues are ignored. For full story click here
Ending visa-free entry for Bangladeshis displays ignorance of Hongkong's business interests while locally developers run roughhod over planning. For full story click here
The abysmal conditions at Repulse Bay, a major tourist attraction, shows the government's mix of incompetent and beholden to property developers. For full story click here
An administration in the pocket of certain business interests continues to ignore the pollution crisis. An energy tax would provide a way forward. For full story click here
A tribute to Gary Coull -- remebering a former journalist who founded a unique Hongkong-based investment house and died tragically young. For full story click here
Truth may be an elusive concept at the best of times but facts are facts and Donald Tsang seems determined to ignore them when they don't suit his interests. For full story click here
Hongkong's chief executive claims a philosophy of leadership and governance. But analysis of recent speeches suggests he follows more than leads. For full story click here
Five years after 9/11, the "terror card" -- ie abuse of the event for political purposes -- has demeaned the US and made the Middle East messier than ever. For full story click here
The Thai coup, like events in the Philippines, underlines the importance of rules and institutions. A coup is no way to deal with the likes of Thaksin. For full story click here
The influence of a small group of Hongkong insiders continues to increase. The Jockey Club provids an example of how a public asset is priavtised. For full story click here
The latest western/ Israeli efforts to re-order the Middle East coincide with anniversaries of previous events which anger the natives -- Suez, Sykes-Picot, etc. For full story click here
The rise of the power of bureaucrats who hitch their interests to big business implies graft and threatens to smother Hongkong entrepreneurial spirit. For full story click here
The Goods and Services Tax which the government aims to foist on Hongkong in the name of fiscal stability is largely a transfer from the poor to the rich. For full story click here
The efforts of mega-rich kid Richard Li to sell PCCW, or his stake in it, say much about abysmal corporate governance and the crony nature of HK big business. For full story click here
An ADB study shows foreign maids in Hongkong are better treated than in SE Asia but the government declines to enforce laws or otherwise improve their lot. For full story click here
The 60th anniversary of the accession of King Bhumibol occasion to study his role in the politics of Thailand as well as his now almost saintly image. For full story click here
Minimum wages are rising in China but the Hongkong government is dragging its feet on introducing a mininum despite an alarming rise in income inequality. For full story click here
Listing of Real Estate Investment Trusts in Hongkong would be welcome except that so far these are insider deals unlike REITs in less incestuous markets. For full story click here
Appointments to HK Exchanges, the quasi-government monopoly, is more evidence of insider mutual back-scratching demeaning HK as a financial market. For full story click here
A palace for bureaucrats and infighting between two government owned rail companies reveals all too much about governance in Hongkong, For full story click here
The Commonwealth Games was a triumph for Australia but also a reminder of East Germany. The number of medals for some sports is also ridiculous. For full story click here
Contrary to the claims of Hongkong's bureaucrats, democracy is good for the environment and bad for vested interests. Look at Korea, Taiwan etc etc For full story click here
Private affluence, public squalor is the motto of a Hongkong's elite ever willing to spend on rich men's foibles but shockingly dismissive of the disadvantaged. For full story click here
Hongkong's Financial Secretary should ignore demands for tax cuts and focus policy on spending to achieve desired objectives such as a higher birth rate. For full story click here
Cartoons of Mohammed may have been in bad taste. But religion should not claim to above derision. There are too many restraints on free speech already. For full story click here
There is immense western hypocrisy in its attirude to Iran's nuclear programme. Its neighbours India and China have a different view of the issue. For full story click here
One answer to Hongkong's tax problems, which will also cut pollution, is an energy tax. Expiry of the power franchise presents the opportunity. For full story click here
The Singapore government has a remarkable ability to avoid the truth by sidestepping facts. And remember former president, the late Devan Nair. For full story click here
Malaysia is backing away from deals with Burma. But Singapore's close relations with its generals and drug families carries on regardless. For full story click here
Hongkong needs to avoid creating the huge underclass of low paid maids and temporary workers like Singapore where abuse comes with the system. For full story click here
Corruption seems under control in Hongkong but there is an indidious tendency for officials to make decisions expecting future rewards from business. For full story click here
There is danger of over-reaction to avian flu. As governor Bowring wrote, measures need to be both effective and the cost not disproportionate. For full story click here
There are elements of Singapore and the Chinese Communist Party in Donald Tsang's goal of creating a political cadre within the bureaucracy. For full story click here
Tsang's call for "Strong government for the people" shows he is set on maximising executive power at the expense of accountability. For full story click here
Like September 11, the consequences of Hurricane Katrina may surprise. An end to the US spending boom? A war on pollution? Economic nationalism? For full story click here
Hongkong campaign against the WTO ministerial meeting in December is a mix of ignorance, special pleading and outright hypocrisy. For full story click here
The 60th anniversary of Hiroshima and the 600th of Zheng He's first voyage remind of the durability of different perspectives on history. For full story click here
Hongkong doesnt need Disney. It should follow Monte Carlo -- uniqueness, quality, and a clean environment to attract Chinese and global elites. For full story click here
Sacrificing the Sports Institute for Olympic equestrian events sums up Hongkong's rule by unsporting fat cats and an all-powerful Jockey Club. For full story click here
The choice of Rafael Hui as Chief Secretary is curious given his lack of ministerial-level experience and his record at the Mandatory Provident Fund. For full story click here
In lieu of more democracy Donald Tsang should broaden the power base by ceasing to appoint the same members of elite families to official bodies. For full story click here
With Hongkong hosting the WTO ministerial in December, it is time to set an example by attacking domestic monoplies and not seeking favours from China. For full story click here
The official squeeze on the incomes of the old and the poor is a shocking indictment of Hongkong's overpaid bureaucracy and rule by inherited wealth. For full story click here
Donald Tsang promises to end collusion between government and big business. But his actions regarding competition policy are made for cronies. For full story click here
Selective memory is the norm when nationalism meets history. Whether it is China and Japan or Australia and Gallipoli symbols outweigh facts. For full story click here
China's attack on Japan's history books is hypocritical. Other countries gloss over their guilt too. Asian nationalists mostly cooperated with imperial Japan. For full story click here
China's indecision on ending the dollar peg is costly, leading to financial excess, property bubbles, ill-directed investment and corruption. For full story click here
Hongkong entrants in the Forbes billionaires global league table -- property developers -- show how it rewards cartels not not wealth creation. For full story click here
The numbers in Hongkong's 2005-06 Budget look OK. But vision is lacking and key issues such as tax reform and competition policy sidestepped. For full story click here
The chaotic manner of Tung Chee-hwa's exit shows the weakness of a system incapable of throwing up stronger candidates than Donald Tsang, a follower not a leader, and some rich men's sons. For full story click here
Far Eastern Economic Review -- memories of colleagues who made the magazine. Article in HK FCC magazine The Correspondent. For full story click here
England's new ban on hunting mammals with dogs is a bizarre and hypocritical law which creates different castes of mammals and protects none from men with guns and traps. For full story click here
The World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos has become decreasingly global. Dominated by Europeans and Americans, Asia's presence has fallen as the region has risen. For full story click here
Hongkong's Independent Commission Agaianst Corruption is focussing on petty issues and failing to provide safeguards against potential abuses involving senior officials and land. For full story click here
Kerry in principle is best but would be hemmed in by his own caution and Congress. Let Bush clear up his own mess -- Iraq, the deficits, etc. and so discredit his own extremism. For full story click here
The death of the weekly Far Eastern Economic Review after 58 years has one cause: the arrogance and incompetence of Dow Jones which bought and trashed a beacon of free journalism in Asia. For full story click here
Hongkong equal- to-Germany per capita GDP is a delusion for 80%.. The data shows appaling income distribution and monopoly profits. For full story click here
Hongkong's official economic growth has been boosted by a huge gap between indices of inflation.The poor are the data's victims. For full story click here
Nuclear experiments by Seoul are no big surprise. Western anti-proliferation sermons are mostly hpocritical and unreallistic. For full story click here
Hongkong Democrats' manifesto is mostly waffle. The party needs a sharper focussed emphasis on tax, environment, competition etc. For full story click here
The west's saviour complex is again in action, this time to bring justice to Sudan. But hypocrisy compounds failure to understand Darfur's complexity. For full story click here
Will Lee Hsien Loong lead Singapore in a new direction to face new challenges, or will he continue his father's authoritarian corporate state? For full story click here
Failure to recognise its unique attributes -- topography, geography and separate status are costing Hongkong dearly. Look at Monaco and Dubai. For full story click here
Hongkong's buildings are depreciating faster than natural, which should be a major concern to investors. The bank/developer axis of self interest is to blame. For full story click here
Thailand's problems with its Muslims is a reminder of a history of Thai expansion and Malay retreat. Democratic Thais could learn some lessons in federalism from KL. For full story click here
America's woes in Iraq are a result of bad policy and good intentions. But there is no excuse for backing Sharon's illegal land grab and political assassinations. For full story click here
Election results in much of Asia, rich and poor, show common sense. No wonder Tung and Beijing fear a system prone to reject the corrupt, incompetent and self-serving. For full story click here
Fallujah has further alienated the US from most of the rest of the world as Christian fundamentalists, Zionist zealots and neo-con warriors rule Washington. For full story click here
Hongkong's GDP data looks increasingly suspect as deflation numbers inflate the supposed real growth. Price indices in the US also ook designed to understate inflation. For full story click here
Taiwan's election impasse is unfortunate because it was a vote for the status quo. Chen just held the middle ground but lost his referendum, which should mollify Beijing. For full story click here
Sandra Burton was that rarity among journalists. Liked by everyone, conscientious to her fingetips, committed to the integrity of her publication as well as herself. For full story click here
Asian governments are collecting tens of billion of US dollars every month. Are they crazy to keep their own currencies weak to acquire debt which may be unrepayable? For full story click here
The Hutton report, and public's response, was a commentary on the decline in confidence in key British institutions, the judiciary and BBC. A lesson for Hongkong. For full story click here
Tung Chee-hwa's 2004 policy address is empty of policy, especially on constitutional issues, but full of ethnic and nationalist attitudes inappropriate for "Asia's world city". For full story click here
Hongkong is searching for leaders and representative government. It does not need leadership by those who inherited their wealth and use power to protect cartels. For full story click here
President Bush's kowtow to the visiting Chinese premier cannot disguise the further momentum of Taiwanese self-determination. History separates Taiwan from the mainland. For full story click here
Hongkong official information is harder to find and is being silently privatised. Once found, the HK 2030 vision lacks discussion of vital planning elements. For full story click here
The failure of Cancun places onus on Europe, China, India, Brazil to encourage US support for multilateralism by being flexible on farm and other issues. For full story click here
Government gravy trains continue to reward the well connected at the expense of the budget and public interest. Thus needed tax rises are hard to swallow. For full story click here
Dr Mahathir's career showed innumerable contradictions as well as ruthless drive. They stemmed from being an outsider, of Indian and lower middle class origin. For full story click here
The OIC summit got scant coverage by a biased western media, but was interesting for self-criticism, emphasis on business, and on the non-Arab Muslim world. For full story click here
Overseas education is often over-priced and under-standard. The abolition of East Asian studies by Durham is another example of decline in UK standards. For full story click here
Hongkong's advantages are geography and separate status. They are being undermined by cartels which inhibit competition with the Pearl River delta. For full story click here
The US trade deficit is not China's fault but there is no point in Asian nations accumulating ever larger dollar reserves. Revaluations are badly needed for everyone's sake. For full story click here
The US belatedly wants greater UN involvement in Iraq. But de Mello's killing is a reminder of its past failures in the Middle East caused by big power priorities. For full story click here
Henry Tang has an amiable personality but his appointment as financial secretary again illustrates the narrow circle of heirs and other insiders that Mr Tung relies upon. For full story click here
Whoever becomes next Hongkong financial secretary will have to impose tough fiscal policies, not just talk about them, and face Asian trade and currency frictions. For full story click here
Post July 1, Hongkong needs more democracy not just as an end in itself but as ameans to better government driven by public interests, not cliques. For full story click here
July 1 in Hongkong: Go demonstrate but remember how times everywhere are changing. Look at Brazil, Korea even Russia more than the west or Beijing. For full story click here
News of the times: The Jayson Blair fraud could have happened on any paper. More disturbing is preference for headlines and exclusivity over verifiable facts. For full story click here
Australia and Asia: A new book highlights the historical baggage that both sides carry, impeding relations 30 years after Canberra abandoned White Australia for Multiculturalism. For full story click here
The judicial system is proving Hongkong's strongest bastion against arbitrary government. Recent decisions provide a basis for the public to make greater use of the courts. For full story click here
SARS is showing up some unpleasant aspects of Hongkong: official secrecy, mean-spirited bureaucracy, tax break to favour the rich and kow-towing to property developers For full story click here
SARS and Iraq have in common government tendency to base policies not on known facts but exaggerations and irrational fears. It's a dangerous, media-driven trend. For full story click here
The real winner of the war and ensuing eventds looks likely to be Israel -- no surprise given the Washington influence of Israel lobbyists like Richard Perle. For full story click here
The war has begun and with it a reassessment of east Asian strategic interests in the light of the US now practicing the unilateralist ideas of the Bush ideologues. For full story click here
The 2003-4 Hongkong Budget starts to tackle the failings of its predecessors but spending remains little restrained and revenue estimates are wishful thinking. For full story click here
Burgers more dangerous than el-Qaeda? Yes if one looks at the global ravages of poor nutrition. It's time to put realism before emotion on other issue too. For full story click here
Kipling, poet of empire, was alive to the dangers of hubris. Other historical parallels, including the world in 1898, are useful as the US plans an Iraq war. For full story click here
Asians are conspicuous by their absence at the annual Davos meeting, reflecting how, despite globalization, Asia's views, interests and ideas are drifting apart from the west. For full story click here
Bangladesh may be secular and democratic as well as Muslim, but the rise of Hindu nationalism in India as well as Islamic extremism elsewhere is pressuring it unfairly. For full story click here
The US dollar's decline still has a long way to go. It will mean revalusation of most Asian currencies, including the Yuan but thankfully excluding the HK$. For full story click here
Plans to fill in more of Hongkong's harbour must be scrapped. They are illegal, unneccessary, unsightly, and a disaster for the environment and leisure uses. For full story click here
Interest rate cuts are supposed to revive growth. But they may be zero sum game, making the thrifty more thrifty and pushing debtor households and countries deeper into the mire. For full text click here
The first casualty of war is the truth. So beware the disinformation campaigns being waged. Note The Atimes case. For full text click here
New attempts to push up property prices illustrate the political power of a second generation business elite to supplant public interests. For full text click here
Hongkong's budget blues. Oligarchic pricing of public assets and utilties need addressing as much as tax reform. Meanwhile a 3% of GDP deficit is desirable. This is the original of a column for the SCMP. The published version was much cut.For full original text click here
A tribute to the Bali victims: lessons from the life of victim Ed Waller, 26, a British/Thai/Irish friend with a zest for work and play who made others smile. SCMP October 21 For full text click here
Hongkong's property obsession lives on in the minds and policies of its leaders. Attempts to bolster prices will delay not enhance economic recovery. SCMP October 7 For full text click here
Kamchatka: The extremity of Eurasia is a place of volcanoes and bears but its strategic and symbolic position survive the end of the cold war. SCMP September 23. For full story click here
Derek Davies Obituary: Journalist whose festiness, sense of fun and determination to tell the truth revolutioniseded Asian journalism. The Times, September 20. For full text click here
September 11 annivesary: reactions which are undemocratic unfocused and unilateral play into the aims of el--Qaeda. For full text click here
North-South dialogue in Korea is coinciding with economic change in the North. That's not chance. Is the North finally moving out of its shell? SCMP August 12 For full text click here
Facts. Overpaid officials are grossly exaggerating unemployment payments -- most get nothing. Li Ka-shing is mostly investing overseas not in Hongkong. SCMP July 29 For full text click here.
Government by Businessmen: Hongkong's problem: Speech to Hongkong Democratic Foundation, July 16. For written text click here (NB: Delivered text had some variations)
Cheung Kong Life Sciences' IPO is another example of K.S. Li's skill in exploiting local investors to enrich his family. Remember Tom.com and PCCW? SCMP July 15 For full text click here
Five years on, the Sino-British property boom remains to blame for some HK troubles. But Tung's cronyism, paternalism and rote patriotism are today's problems. SCMP July 1 For full story click here
Russia's pragmatism abroad, attention to evils at home, a reviving economy and a dynamic president make it an international player again. SCMP June 24 For full text click here
Hongkong's police has set an abysmal example in the face of ICAC investigations. But the ICAC has lagged in tackling abuses in secretive planning and building departments. For full text click here
Dr Mahathir's political revival gives him a last chance to reverse past opportunistic concessions on Islamic and dducation issues and protect Malaysia's modernisation. For full text click here
Migration is a critical issue for Hongkong.With the world's lowest birth rate, it needs young blood. But the economy needs more skills too. The lack of an official policy is alarming. For full text click here
High stock prices are loved by brokers, politicians and now central bankers. But they can be a delusion. What investors need are real and recurrent earnings, and dividends. For full text click here
Argentina, Hongkong, in-between -- a look at the uses and abuses of currency pegs and possible directions for exchange rate systems and values in Asia. For full text click here
US military action has been successful, but Osama may be winning another war as Bush backs Sharon, and, with media help, find Muslims enemies everywhere. For full story click here
More instances of cronyism and secrecy illustrate how links between developers and government, helped by the banks,are compunding Hongkong's housing problems. For full text click here
Leung's first Budget avoids all the hard issues of how to increase Hongkong's revenue. Another big deficit is justified,but lack of decisions on long delayed tax reform is not. For full text click here
Hongkong is waking up to considering population issues: mainland migration and the very low birth rate -- and the accuracy of projections that it will recover dramatically. For full text click here
US military dominance is greater than ever. But influence depends also on respect for its institutions and on support from allies. Unilateral actions and massive debts threaten it. For full text click here
Enron contains lots of lessons, not just about executive greed and the compromising of auditors in the US. For Hongkong there are plenty of scams closer to home to worry about. For full text click here
The successful appeal by former HSBC executive Ewan Launder against a bribery conviction closes the 20-year history of the Carrian scam. But Carrian leaves huge question marks over the Hongkong's judiciary record of fairness and competence. For full text click here
Reflections on 2001 are reminder of the transient nature of what we take for granted be it the Japanese economy, central Asian maps, media freedom, the almighty dollar. Only greed is a constant. For full text click here
Property developers in Hongkong exert inordinate influence on society. One reason is government secrecy, which has opened the way for inside deals which have cost the Treasury billions and thwarted ordinary citizens rights.For full text click here
Merger of the bureaus of the Far Eastern Economic Review and Asian Wall Street Journal illustrate how Dow Jones (and Time Warner) have killed Asian media diversity -- and lost money in the process. For full text click here
East Asia is beset by a collapsing export economy and potential instability linked to Islam and September 11. But it enters this period of global uncertainty in a relatively strong position. For full text click here
Tung Chee-hwa's last annual policy address this term was an opportunity for new thinking in the face of economic problems and past failures in housing and other polices. He missed it. For full text click here
One month afterwards, the potential for good or ill to be the net winner from reaction to the attack is finely balanced. The US has been fairly measured in actions, but others' words need watching. For full text click here
The September 11 terrorist attacks will succeed to the extent that the world falls into the traps that the Bin Ladens' have set: fear, revenge, confusion, reversal of liberalism and globalism etc. For full text click here
Hongkong badly neds tax reform to broaden its revenue base but though an advisory conciselyexamines all possibilities its recommendations are debateable. For full text click here
Taiwan's business community is being drawn to the mainland by the weakness in global markets and the growth in China. But it is easy to exaggerate the gains from direct links and freer investment. Taiwan is above all a global niche player.SCMP For full text click here
Asia's problems are not going to be solved by sitting around waiting for the US economy to pick up. Self help means less reliance on the dollar, keeping savings surpluses closer to home and more use of Asian currencies by borrowers. Time. For full text click here
The demise of President Wahid is a tragedy of Shakesperean proportions. A man whose ideas are badly needed was destroyed by his enemies, and by physical infirmity but also by a fatal character flaw of one born to power. SCMP For full text click here.
Racial issues in Hongkong should not be swept under the carpet if it is to be "Asia's world city" in an Asia populated more by brown people than by Chinese. Unintentional racial stereotyping as in the US and UK is also to be avoided. SCMP For full text click here
Tsang's rush to condemn falun gong is at odds with his own Catholic church, which itself could face "unpatriotric" allegations. The communist cult fears all other organised beliefs, as in Xinjiang where religion aligns with non-Han nationalism. SCMP For full text click here
Hongkong does not need compulsory deposit insurance. That's just a way of protecting small, weak local banks. But the saving scheme means small investors deserve better protection from the sharks of the mutual funds industry. SCMP For full text click here
Big changes are underway in the geopolitics of Northeast Asia, of which Bush's missile shield and arms for Taiwan are only a part. Russia, Korea, Japan are all in flux. But the more immediate danger to US-China relations is on the trade front. SCMP For full text click here
Argentina's decision to link it currency to the Euro as well as the dollar is a reminder that Hongkong should consider a new kind of peg to reflect the changes in Asian currencies and trading patterns and the likely future of the RMB. SCMP. For full story click here
The Hongkong rugby sevens has witnessed the criminalisation of legitimate ticket business. Meanwhile officially sanctioned cartels continue to rip off the public. Dont feel sorry for the K.S.Li family despite Richard's disgrace.SCMP For full story click here
President Bush's meeting with Qian Qichen may be less significant for east Asia than President Putin's visits to east Asia. The missile shield issue is vital, but is showing up the complexity of regional relationships involving China, Japan, two Koreas, Russia and Taiwan. Bush needs to beware of simplistic answers.SCMP. For full text click here
Indonesia's economic performance could surprise again this year despite the political turmoil, banking crisis and fall of the Rupiah. But even if export and consumption led recovery continues for now, eventually Indonesia will need capital to flow in not out. Sydney Morning Herald, March 17. For full text click here
Australia's controversial populist Pauline Hanson has made a modest political come-back. But there is no need to exaggerate her party's appeal, or the threat of an anti-Asian backlash. Australia needs open debate, and should ignore criticism from SE Asia where race-based politics is endemic. Time. For full text click here
Hongkong's Budget purports to be a conservative as well as "no change" document. However the deterioration in the operating budget, now partly financed from capital revenue, is cause for concern, as inflated expectations of asset price gains.SCMP March 12. Click here for full text
President Wahid may appear an incompetent leader of a disintegrating country. But the alternatives are worse than this liberal and inclusive figure, and the country is not a complete write-off for investors or tourists. SCMP February 26 Click here for full text
Central bankers are not necessarily to be trusted with either money not financial sector regulation. The US Fed seems to think that the US consumer needs to get even deeper into debt. Hongkong's Securities & Futures Commission is a do-nothing contrast to Arthur Levitt's lively SEC in the US. SCMP Feb 12. Click here for full text
Hongkong needs to boost its service industries, from medicine to gambling, to stay ahead of the competition, not integration with populous, low wage Pearl River Delta. SCMP Click here for full text
Asian countries should stop worrying about a US recession and do more to stimulate domestic demand. The US debts and deficits are unsustainable. So should be Asia's un-productive surpluses. Time. Click here for full text
The US election impasse is a reminder of the problems for Asian democracies in drawing lines between executive, legislative and judicial power and the relative merits of parliamentary and presidential systems. SCMP. Click here for full text
Hongkong's GDP numbers again stretch credulity, with nominal growth about half "real" growth. The Financial Secretary has Budget number problems too. SCMP Click here for full text
The hypocrisy of impeaching Estrada: The Philippine president may be incompetent and have sleazy friends but his accusers cannot claim the moral high ground either. The problem lies much deeper, in political financing and the feudalism and wardlordism endemic in the system. Click here for full text
Poverty in Hongkong: The GDP statistics say that Hongkong people are richer than Australians and at the same level as Germans. That is self-evidently not true. But worse is the appaling disparity in income distribution which emerges from analysis of the household income data.Click here for full text
The US and Israel: American presidents may in theory want to be honest brokers in the Middle East but Mrs Clinton's electioneering in New York better describes the real relationship. Meanwhile a comparison between Tiananmen and current Arab civilian deaths is not inappropriate. Click here for full text
Hongkong's crony train: The choice of Peter Woo to head the Trade Development Council and K.S. Lo to add the Hospital Authority to his GEM portfolio underlines the narrowness of the HK elite and how a few very rich families and high civil servants benefit from top level patronage. Click here for full text.
Hongkong: Praise at last for the Census and Statistics department for revising population estimates to reflect reality. But now let us have a real debate on immigration needs. GDP growth data however remains grossly exaggerated. Click here for full text
Hongkong/Taipei: Three years after the HKhandover and weeks after the election of President Chen, how does HK see Taiwan? There is no sympathy for and little understanding of the independence desire but growing awareness of the island's technological prowess and democracy. Its legal system may lag Hongkong, but its accountable government is in stark contrast to Tung's backward-looking executive-led system. Article from Taipei Review. Click here for full text
Hongkong: Disregard for law is spreading -- direct action on oil prices in Europe, pressure to give in to Philippine kidnappers. But Hongkong should better safeguard legitimate protest rights, and make ransom paying - as in the Li case -- an offence. Click here for full text
Hongkong: Caveat emptor remains the best principle of investing. So dont't blame the authorities for being fooled by dot coms. However, compulsory savings and their investing in shares does demand that the government protect investors from rip-offs. Click here for full text
Hongkong: Patriotism and racial identity are easily confused, which can be a dangerous thing, especially for Hongkong Chinese who want to be Chinese, Asian, Canadian etc as and when it suits, or who follow the Beijing identification of race with patriotism. Click here for full text
Hongkong: The rush to debt and the crazy prices being paid for wireless companies and other high tech acquisitions in the west are a reminder of what happened in Asia when over-optimism and over-epxansion fuelled a borrowing binge. Schadenfreude is at hand. Click here for full text
Hongkong: The election of Chen Shui-bian has made Hongkong think a little more about Taiwan and its significance for Hongkong. There is little sympathy for its independence movement but increasing admiration for its progress in technology and democracy. Click here for full text
Hongkong: The local media errors are of omission not commission. Ignoring a visit by President Khatami, hounding scapegoats not investigating for culprits, and acting as PR machine for all kinds of dot com and other IPO scams for fleecing investors. Click here for full text.
Hongkong: The Korean summit has huge implications for the balance of power in NE Asia, with China playing a larger role, Russia looking with interest, and Japan worried. The US, guarantor of peace.may find its role undermined. Hongkong is out of the loop. Click here for full text
Hongkong: The government's claim of 14% first quarter GDP increase is suspect. The current price figure was only 6.2% and the claim of 7% deflation which boosted "real" growth is contradicted by most of the data. For full story click here
Hongkong: The inauguration of Chen Shui-bian highlights Taiwanese identity. That in turn is reminder of how separate the island's history has been from that of mainland China due to its Malay origins and multiple foreign involvements. Click here for full text
Almaty: The Kazakhstan capital is only a hundred miles from China. But this nation looks to Russia, the west and the Turkic-speaking region not the east.That could change but if so it will be due more to economics than to cultural affinities. Click here for full text
Seoul: Korea is on the move. The election was a defeat for personality based parties and regionalism and the impending North/South summit may be more than just tactics for the two Kims. Click here for full text
Hongkong: The conviction of former Wardley boss Ewan Launder is a beleated victory for the ICAC, but little is being done to prevent potential abuses mushrooming in the financial sector. Click here for full text
Hongkong: The 2000 Budget avoids most of the issues of broadening the tax base and relies on the windfall profits from the sale of the Tracker Fund. As such it does a major disservice to reform of budgeting in the SAR.Click here for full text.
Hongkong: A combination of demograhics and import of cheap domestic labour has contributed enormously to the prosperity of Hongkong's middle class. However the demograhics are turning sour and the tax consequences must be faced. Click here for full text
Hongkong: Y2K has become an excuse for Greenspan to pump yet more money into the system and further inflate the monstrous tech stock boom, and a global stock bubble. Worse than profit manipulation is the disdain for yield. It will haunt the generation caught when the bubble bursts. Click here for textKuala Lumpur: The ASEAN meeting and the Malaysian election are evidence that though the Asian economic crisis is moving into history the political fallout is still occurring. Indonesia remains the key to SE Asia and Japan to the Northeast. Click here for text
Hongkong: The Disney project is another example of the government's inability to keep a proper divide between public and private sectors, politicsand economics. The subsidy to Disney is huge and the return to tax payers exaggerated. Click here for text
Hongkong: Agreement on China's entry into WTO is immensely important to the world, and US-China relations. But trade benefits to the US are relatively small and economic gains for China are long term, and reform driven. Click here for text
Hongkong: The death of former Financial Secretary and Chief Secretary Philip Haddon-Cave is a reminder of the standards of conduct as well as abilities that Hongkong ought to be able to expect from its top civil servants. Click here for text
Hongkong: The government's surprise statement that the economy grew 0.7% in the first quarter hides less pleasant realities. Current dollar GDP fell 4% and a huge increase in the GDP deflator is hard to explain fully. Click here for textHongkong: Idealistic western intervention in Timor is all very well but ignores the west's part in the development of the tragedy, issues of national interest, the compromised role of the church and the separatist concerns of Asian neighbours. Click here for text.
Kuala Lumpur: The political destruction of Anwar Ibrahim by his one time mentor, has been absorbing theatre, with Anwar playing Othello to Mahathir's Iago .But why did it turn out like this? With elections looming and Mahathir ageing what does it mean for the future leadership of Malaysia's unique race-based system of populist democracy? Prospect August-September. Click here for text
Manila: The president has used his State of the nation address to reaffirm commitment to democracy. That he needed to do so shows how suspicions have grown of resurgence of cronyism in business, the use of presidential influence to silence critics and the motives behind moves to amend the constitution. Estrada is no Marcos or Peron, but likes to help his pals. SMH July 31. Click here for text
Hongkong: There is semantics in the war of words between Beijing and Taipei over President Lee Teng-hui's assertion of a "special state-to-state" relationship. Whatever the meaning of One China, or the difference between state, nation and people, the reality is that there are two Chinese states. Beijing's recognition of this would undermine Taiwanese separatism. Click here for text
Seoul: Kim Dae Jung's "sunshine" policy towards the North may be making only snail's pace progress. But that it has not been derailed by the recent naval encounters is due to Beijing's help as well as Kim's determination to press ahead. US-Pyongyang talks following William Perry's visit are also encouraging. But the North is still fearful of opening to the South. SCMP June 27. Click here for text
Hongkong: The deterioration in US-China relations appears to be quite fundamental The national interests of either party do not appear to changed greatly but emotion is in charge as perceptions swing from over-excpectation to exaggerated fears. The shift has significant consequences for the rest of Asia, which may face choices that have been unncessary for 20 years. Click here for text
Hongkong: The government's dishonest data on residents' children on the mainland with possible right of abode in Hongkong. It makes a mockery of family rights, favours Canadian Chinese over real Chinese nationals and illustrates a selfish elitism which invites nationalist retribution. Click here for text
Hongkong: A description and analysis of the raft of monopolies and oligopolies in Hongkong which are keeping prices high, profits of big, influential companies high and thwarting the growth of new businesses. This paper by Philip Bowring was published by Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia on the occasion of their annual investment forum in May. It is a pdf file. Click here for text
Beijing: The bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade has exposed deep fissures in China's political thinking, providing an opening for nationalistic and anti-reform sentiments. The west must to more to atone for its stupidity, and give badly needed WTO help to Beijing's beleagured modernsisers. Article appeared in South China Morning Post May 14. Click here for text
Hongkong: The government is using phony statistics to frighten the population into backing its attempt to overturn the Court of Final Appeal's ruling on rights of abode for children of resident. This article appeared in South China Morning Post on May 5.
Click here for textBangkok: Hollywood and history seldom make comfortable bedfellows. So it is not surprising that Thailand has thrown up roadblocks to a 20th Century Fox effort to shoot here Anna and the King, a re-make of The King and I.
Click here for textDhaka: The Indian subcontinent offers some important lessons for Kosovo\Yugoslavia. So it is a pity that India, with almost characteristic hypocrisy, has been so quick to criticise NATO action as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
Click here for textHongkong: Until this week it seemed nirvana for the financial services world. The Dow was flirting with five digits, the US House of Representatives banking committee had finally just (March 12) approved a bill to enable "one stop" combines of banking, securities, insurance and fund management. Mega banking mergers had broken out all over Europe.
Click here for textManila: The Asian crisis has been a sharp reminder that for most of the region a thriving rural sector provides the best underpinning of growth. Governments are looking again at their agricultural policies.
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