Go west, young man

To a fanfare of scraped barrel bottoms, the Commerce and Economic Development Secretary Algernon Lau encourages Hong Kong’s young entrepreneurs to explore new opportunities in Central Asia, Latin America and Africa…

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Yau said he would lead delegations of young entrepreneurs to explore new markets.

“In the future, I will personally lead teams to countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Hungary to explore new opportunities,” he said.

“We also plan to visit Latin America, but as the region is currently in a turbulent state, we will monitor the situation.

“After that, our focus will turn to Africa. In March, I will attend a World Trade Organisation conference in Cameroon. We will also explore opportunities there.”

Yau also said in a meeting last year with the Angolan ambassador to China, the envoy expressed hopes for deeper economic ties with Hong Kong.

The commerce chief stressed that young entrepreneurs should gain first-hand experience in understanding foreign markets.

“There’s one thing I truly believe: seeing is believing. We hope to give young entrepreneurs the chance to visit these countries with a government delegation, so they can better understand the realities on the ground,” he said.

I guess Hungary is of Central Asian lineage. There’s obviously a BRICS/Belt and Road thing going on here, though Algernon isn’t quoted as mentioning them (nor the Greater Bay Area). If any Hong Kong entrepreneurs are in a position to explore opportunities in these backwaters, it wouldn’t be kids who need Google Maps to get from Narita to downtown Tokyo.

Why do Hong Kong government officials like to urge young citizens to ‘seize’ opportunities overseas? Do they think the city, with its cartels and overpriced rents, has nothing to offer the next generation? Or do these ministers want to rid the place of young talent? Then again – what do the officials know, given that few of them have any experience of running or growing a business, let alone of Kazakhstan or Angola? 

A TransitJam tweet, with photo of people camping out outside a government building… 

…a “queuing gang” takes up all 100 daily quota slots for driving licence applications and then, through its office adjacent to Transport Dept, charges hapless citizens (blocked out by the full quota) $600 for submission.

How difficult is it to require real-name applicants to book ahead for an appointment?

The NYT looks at Chinese people’s reaction to Trump’s abduction of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro…

Within hours, the discourse online became a proxy debate over China’s power, its limits and its future. For nationalist Chinese, the U.S. military operation had exposed American lawlessness and frustrations in China at what they believe is Beijing’s restraint, particularly on Taiwan. For those venturing criticism of the government, the episode underscored the vulnerability of even entrenched authoritarian leaders.

…Over the years, the Chinese government has lent considerable political and financial support for Mr. Maduro. Mr. Xi’s critics characterized that as a failure of judgment after Mr. Maduro’s capture. The timing, just hours after Mr. Maduro’s meeting with an official Chinese delegation, prompted pointed questions about judgment and state capacity. “Always picking the wrong partner is also a kind of skill,” one comment said.

…In [liberal Chinese intellectuals’] line of thinking, Venezuela is not simply a foreign-policy embarrassment. It’s a case study in what happens when authoritarian rule hardens into stagnation, institutions hollow out and political loyalty outweighs competence. In Chinese debates, the blunt question becomes: Will China become the next Venezuela?

Donald Trump is no stranger to ‘picking the wrong partner’, as with Vladimir Putin and – perhaps now – Delcy Rodriguez and the other Venezuelan crony elites.