Hồng Kông nói họ có quyền quyết, chứ không phải Bắc Kinh. Các nhà đầu tư vẫn cảnh giác.

giờ hong kong bị cô lập với quốc tế, và trôi vào quỹ đạo của bắc kinh, các nhà đầu tư bỏ đi...

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Isolated (cô lập) from the world and pulled closer into Beijing’s orbit (quỹ đạo) over the past three years, Hong Kong is finding that its fortunes (vận mệnh) are tied more than ever to China.

The city’s stock market (thị trường chứng khoán), which is seen as a proxy (đại diện) for China’s economy, is among the world’s worst performing this year. The rivers of money that flowed into companies, minting new wealth, have slowed to a trickle.

And there is the gnawing (day dứt) feeling that the once-vibrant international city that staked its reputation on being separate from China has itself become more like the rest of China.

...In July, the city’s chief executive, John Lee, offered financial rewards for any information leading to the arrest of eight pro-democracy activists who fled Hong Kong’s national security (an ninh quốc gia) law to places like the United States and Britain. In his appeal, he said they should be treated like “rats in the street,” (chuột ngoài đường) and added that the police would “vigorously pursue” anyone who posed a threat to national security in the city. This week, Beijing ordered consulates (lãnh sự quán) in Hong Kong to turn over personal information (thông tin cá nhân) about all local staff, including addresses and passport and identification numbers, bringing the city closer in line with rules elsewhere in China.

Against the backdrop of shifting regulations, law firms in Hong Kong are struggling to counter a perception among clients that the legal landscape has deteriorated,

The erosion (xói mòn) of rights has also inhibited the ability of investors, financial analysts and academics to speak freely. Companies are choosing other jurisdictions, like London and Singapore, for international arbitration out of concern that Hong Kong is no longer neutral (trung lập). Many clients have also raised concerns with their lawyers about the privacy (quyền riêng tư) of their communications in Hong Kong.

...The prospects also don’t look great for companies listing their shares publicly in Hong Kong. Companies this year have raised just $2.7 billion, the lowest amount in two decades, according to the most recent data.

...HNA Group, a Chinese conglomerate that was once China’s biggest dealmaker, went bankrupt in 2021 and then disclosed that nearly $10 billion of its money had been embezzled (biển thủ). Last year, auditors for more than a dozen Chinese property companies listed in Hong Kong resigned, according to Reuters, drawing attention to the industry and corporate governance issues.