Week fizzles out

HKFP on the rise in phone scams since real-name SIM cards became compulsory…

The number of phone scams in Hong Kong has tripled since a real-name SIM card registration system was implemented in 2022, despite the government’s claim that it would help crack down on fraud.

In 2024, police received 9,204 reports of phone scams, up from 3,213 in 2023 and 2,831 in 2022, security chief Chris Tang said on Wednesday, in a written reply to lawmaker Carmen Kan.

…The registration system, which took effect in March 2022, requires new SIM cards to be registered under the user’s real name. The government said the regulation was designed to combat crimes, including phone scams.

…Mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong have been scammed out of tens of millions. Two universities – the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong – said in January that nearly 100 students had fallen victim to scams, resulting in financial losses exceeding a total of HK$75 million.

Perhaps the real-name requirement was more about tracking national security threats?

David Webb writes his first Substack post – on the ‘Joy Me’ HK$2 transport rides for anyone over 60…

Implementation began in 2012 and was eventually expanded to almost all forms of public transport, including “Public Light Buses” (minibuses), street trams and ferries. You can even get a ferry ride to Discovery Bay, an enclave of private housing on Lantau Island, for HK$2, costing the Government the difference (about HK$53.8) each way. That’s a 96.4% subsidy and frankly, it might as well be 100%. In the 2025 budget, there was a plan to cut subsidies to a maximum of 80% (for fares normally over $10) but this has not yet been implemented.

On 14-Jan-2020, then-Chief Executive Carrie Lam, whose specialty became throwing around public money without means-testing, decided to cut the age limit to 60. This was pure populism in the wake of her, shall we say, “somewhat-misguided” Extradition Bill havoc.

By 2025, the estimated mid-year population of 7.528m included 2.432m over 60, or 32.3%. Almost one-third of the population now attracts this subsidy.

Including me. It’s crazy. Virtually free MTR, bus and ferry rides, and for many better-off recipients, a subsidy from the poor. It also (in my experience) undermines government campaigns to encourage the elderly to exercise. Rather than walk half a mile, why not just jump on a bus for HK$2? The savings, compared with the full fare of, say, HK$8.50, means nothing to me financially, but it’s a psychological thing (a dopamine release, or something).

As David says, the initiative is costing well over HK$4 billion a year, at a time when public expenditure is growing faster than either the underlying economy or government revenues. Part of the problem is that in the pre-NatSec/Covid era, the government had more revenue than it knew what to do with. (If you think HK$4 billion is bad, check the costs of infrastructure white elephants or civil service salaries.) And part of it comes down to the political structure. The tycoons used to oppose democracy because it would supposedly lead to welfarism. Instead, we have a government that lacks a popular mandate, and throws money around – at the wrong people – in an attempt to be liked.

Steve Vines in The Diplomat…

Three remarkable Hong Kongers – Chow Han-tung, Albert Ho, and Lee Cheuk-yan – are about to go on trial in Hong Kong for being Chinese patriots. 

The Chinese state regularly brands pro-democracy activists as being “anti-China,” but how can the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claim that opponents are disloyal to the nation when people accused of subversion have a long history of Chinese patriotism? 

In Hong Kong, now very much under the CCP’s thumb, the consequences of the anti-China smear have resulted in these three defendants being charged with subversion and facing up to a lifetime in jail. Their trial is scheduled to begin on November 11. They have all previously faced a host of other charges which emanate from their role as organizers of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

China Digital Times looks at online opinions about the official line that Golden Week crowds reflect a booming economy…

State media hailed the mass travel over this month’s “Super Golden Week” holiday as a sign of profound economic vigor. Xinhua, for example, reported that the “travel boom […] demonstrated the country’s vibrant consumption and sustained economic momentum, highlighting the vitality of the Chinese economy.” 

…Much of the growth, though, could be attributed to the fact that the holiday was 14% longer—an eighth day resulting from the proximity of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. Reports from Caixin and Western outlets like Reuters and the Financial Times noted that spending per trip had actually fallen slightly, and referred to masked frugality, tepid consumption, and dashed hopes.

…On WeChat, prolific commentator Xiang Dongliang expressed bewilderment [arguing] against the concentration of so much of the population’s domestic travel into a few nationally uniform peak periods, suggesting that this makes the holidays unnecessarily gruelling, inflexible, and even unsafe. He noted common arguments for the practice such as the benefits of predictable scheduling for public services and safety, financial markets, and schools, but suggested that these do not outweigh the negatives, and in any case do not require full nationwide synchronization. The post is peppered with photos of huge, densely packed crowds in various major tourist destinations. 

Some interesting snippets from online commenters, such as…

An eight-day holiday that includes two weekend days and two days you’ll have to work some other time is really only a four-day break. They’re just loosening the reins a bit on us livestock to stimulate spending.

Great moments in crypto…