On January 23, the chief executive held a cocktail reception to reassure 200 business and political leaders that Hong Kong was back. That act sent a much louder message: The virus wasn’t under control and Hong Kong wasn’t a safe place to invest or even visit. The day after the Hong Kong announcment, the official Xinhua News Agency reported that Hubei had issued an order forbidding its residents to travel to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. But inevitably, to some analysts, she appears to follow Beijing’s lead and to put the central government’s interests ahead of those of Hong Kong. But from her standpoint, this may be the best strategy to get what Hong Kong needs, without unduly provoking Beijing.

Source: Manila Times February 17, 2020 19:41 UTC