Former Wheelock chairman and billionaire tycoon Peter Woo joins the call to scrap hotel quarantine for arrivals in Hong Kong, adding to pressures for the government to reopen the city.
Ex-Wheelock chair Peter Woo warned that Hong Kong risks losing its title as «Asia’s world city» if inbound traffic is inconvenient, according to a statement, adding that the city should improve its advantage in international links, as per a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit in July.
«Many people hope that Hong Kong can get off the mark again within three months after President Xi’s speech on July 1, not to wait until November,» Woo wrote.
«Hong Kong should maintain its distinctive status and edges, to improve its presence as an international financial, shipping, and trading center […] to expand and facilitate its exchanges with the world. This is not empty talk. It is the key performance indicator that cannot be missed. It is also believed to have the strong support of the Hong Kong people.»
Endemic, Not Pandemic
In addition to easing, Woo also appealed to the Hong Kong government to consider measures based not only on the number of new infections but also on severity.
«Some places have seen it as endemic, not pandemic anymore. And the number of local confirmed cases no longer makes important news coverage,» Woo said. «Hong Kong’s success is not because it is nurtured in a greenhouse. The more it is protected in a greenhouse, the weaker the system will become. Many people can’t help thinking Hong Kong is trying to defeat itself.»
Woo is the former chairman of property developer Wheelock and Hong Kong’s fifth-richest individual with an estimated net worth of $18.7 billion, according to Forbes.
