we huff & puff - but still not enuff

[red amoeba]

ok, so our leaders throw open our doors for FTs...to increase profile...but HK still pip us, without conscious efforts to call for FTs.

Hong Kong pips S'pore as most popular city for international business
By Amanda Feng | Posted: 20 July 2011 1552 hrs


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Hong Kong skyline


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SINGAPORE: Hong Kong is now the most popular city for international business, while Singapore is a close second, says commercial real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

This is according to a study conducted by the firm, which analysed office locations of 280 of the world's largest companies across 232 cities.

68.2 per cent of international companies surveyed were represented in Hong Kong, while Singapore was home to 67.5 per cent. Tokyo, London and Shanghai were next in the top five.

CBRE said that easy access to other major Asian economies and the impact of rapid growth in mainland China's major markets were some reasons that enabled Hong Kong to emerge tops.

"Hong Kong holds a unique position from which international businesses can operate globally," said CBRE's Head of Research for Asia Pacific, Nick Axford.

"This is due to its location, lack of foreign ownership restrictions, a tri-lingual mix and an international, highly-skilled workforce."

The survey also covered level of penetration by companies in various sectors across the globe including transport, distribution & retail, industrial goods & services, media, F&B and insurance.

Singapore, who came in second, was the top choice for companies in the industrial goods and services sector.

It was also ranked among the top five in media and banking & financial services.

Petra Blazkova, head of CBRE Research in Singapore and South East Asia, said: "Singapore's ranking attests to the quality, quantity and competitive cost of Singapore's office space in attracting businesses."

 

[Maximilian Chua-Heng]

HK has a ready-made hinterland. SG trying to create one. That's the diff, bro!

 

[red amoeba]

HK has a ready-made hinterland. SG trying to create one. That's the diff, bro!

==

create one? where ? Iskandar? LOL

 

[Char_Azn]

ok, so our leaders throw open our doors for FTs...to increase profile...but HK still pip us, without conscious efforts to call for FTs.

I don't think U've been to HK recently(either that or U can't tell the difference). I was there last week. Came across a lot of pple speaking Cantonese with a "village accent"(yes Cantonese got different accent). 100% certain they are PRC coz the average Hongkie doesn't speak with that accent.

BTW Hong Kong net migration rate in 2010 - 4.2
SG - 4.7

 

[ginfreely]

I don't think U've been to HK recently(either that or U can't tell the difference). I was there last week. Came across a lot of pple speaking Cantonese with a "village accent"(yes Cantonese got different accent). 100% certain they are PRC coz the average Hongkie doesn't speak with that accent.

BTW Hong Kong net migration rate in 2010 - 4.2
SG - 4.7

At least the PRC in HK bother to learn to speak Cantonese, here the PRC will continue to talk in their own dialect, do they even bother to learn to speak English?

When in HK last year, i saw one PRC working in tea cafe learning Cantonese from her HK colleagues in an enthusiastic manner. Back in Changi airport after the trip, i saw one PRC working in the food court there just gave a blank and uninterested look when she couldnt understand what a tourist is asking in English about the food.

That is the vital difference, no effort from the FT here to blend in at all, only the government throwing taxpayers money to try to blend them in and asking citizens to welcome them as they are. They don't need to change to adapt to here, but citizens have to adapt to their language and their ways instead.

 

[red amoeba]

I don't think U've been to HK recently(either that or U can't tell the difference). I was there last week. Came across a lot of pple speaking Cantonese with a "village accent"(yes Cantonese got different accent). 100% certain they are PRC coz the average Hongkie doesn't speak with that accent.

BTW Hong Kong net migration rate in 2010 - 4.2
SG - 4.7

==

u r missing my point. the objective of my post is not to say HK dun have foreign laborers. It is just that while we go all out to advertise ourselves like a neon light for foreign laborers / talents - businesses are still drawn to HK- who has not been active / so active.

for sure, even HKers are doo-lan with so many PRCs flooding in...but they only face PRCs...not Pinoys, Banglas, Indians...like us.

Our leaders got to ask why. Is it because of proximity to China? Is it because the relative lassie-faire attitude of the HK government?

 

[Char_Azn]

==

u r missing my point. the objective of my post is not to say HK dun have foreign laborers. It is just that while we go all out to advertise ourselves like a neon light for foreign laborers / talents - businesses are still drawn to HK- who has not been active / so active.

for sure, even HKers are doo-lan with so many PRCs flooding in...but they only face PRCs...not Pinoys, Banglas, Indians...like us.

Our leaders got to ask why. Is it because of proximity to China? Is it because the relative lassie-faire attitude of the HK government?

Our taxes, freedom of doing business etc were always close to or better then HK. The difference here is their proximity to China and the concussions that China gives to Hongkie based businesses. That is something which SG can never overcome. Unless our immediate neighbors(more specifically Indon) suddenly becomes the next big thing, it will always be a losing battle comparing the likes with HK. Would have been way easier in the past before China opened up. The fact that we can even stand toe to toe with HK is pretty amazing in itself.

At least the PRC in HK bother to learn to speak Cantonese, here the PRC will continue to talk in their own dialect, do they even bother to learn to speak English?

When in HK last year, i saw one PRC working in tea cafe learning Cantonese from her HK colleagues in an enthusiastic manner. Back in Changi airport after the trip, i saw one PRC working in the food court there just gave a blank and uninterested look when she couldnt understand what a tourist is asking in English about the food.

That is the vital difference, no effort from the FT here to blend in at all, only the government throwing taxpayers money to try to blend them in and asking citizens to welcome them as they are. They don't need to change to adapt to here, but citizens have to adapt to their language and their ways instead.

FYI since you don't seem to know. SG national lauguage = MALAY

SG official lauguage = English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil

Unless the PRC China man doesn't even know how to speak Chinese, then I think that's a serious issue. I know a lot of eldery locals who can speak Chinese and Malay but not English. U want to ship them out of the country as well?

If you're not happy with a service person who doesn't speak the language of your choice(we have 4), go complain to their boss. In Hong Kong, they have 1, Cantonese and U cannot survive there without it unlike in SG.

 

[Maximilian Chua-Heng]

ASEAN? But I don't see why others are willing to share the pie. Next please....

==

create one? where ? Iskandar? LOL

 

[Char_Azn]

ASEAN? But I don't see why others are willing to share the pie. Next please....

Everyone in the region have egos too big for their own good. We see ourselves as the rich brat who will lose out if we share with the peasants, Matland doesn't want to be outdone by SG, Thailand have problems keeping their own house in check and Indonesia doesn't want to be told what to do by tiny nations. If we ever get our act together and become a single entity like the Eurozone, we will be able to challenge big nations like India and China. Not going to happen anytime soon

 

[red amoeba]

Our taxes, freedom of doing business etc were always close to or better then HK. The difference here is their proximity to China and the concussions that China gives to Hongkie based businesses. That is something which SG can never overcome. Unless our immediate neighbors(more specifically Indon) suddenly becomes the next big thing, it will always be a losing battle comparing the likes with HK. Would have been way easier in the past before China opened up. The fact that we can even stand toe to toe with HK is pretty amazing in itself.



FYI since you don't seem to know. SG national lauguage = MALAY

SG official lauguage = English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil

Unless the PRC China man doesn't even know how to speak Chinese, then I think that's a serious issue. I know a lot of eldery locals who can speak Chinese and Malay but not English. U want to ship them out of the country as well?

If you're not happy with a service person who doesn't speak the language of your choice(we have 4), go complain to their boss. In Hong Kong, they have 1, Cantonese and U cannot survive there without it unlike in SG.

===
I always believe, if Indon decides to wake up and keep their house in order - Singapore will cease to exist. We do alot of Indon business - medical, entrepot, etc.

 

[red amoeba]

ASEAN? But I don't see why others are willing to share the pie. Next please....

===
thats the vision of LKY isn't it, when he shouted Merdeka Merdeka. Mudland act as hinterland for Singapore much like (albeit smaller scale) Hong Kong and China. Thats why we have Malay as national language. But the plan fell through and we have no choice but to declare independence.

 

[red amoeba]

Everyone in the region have egos too big for their own good. We see ourselves as the rich brat who will lose out if we share with the peasants, Matland doesn't want to be outdone by SG, Thailand have problems keeping their own house in check and Indonesia doesn't want to be told what to do by tiny nations. If we ever get our act together and become a single entity like the Eurozone, we will be able to challenge big nations like India and China. Not going to happen anytime soon

==

never, even if we combine as a Asean-zone to be able to effectively challenge China or India. You see the Eurozone...ambitious plan and when it finally conceived in 2000, big plans - but today, everyone - France and Germany struggled to pay off the misdoings and mis managements of weaker siblings. If you are a German especially, you will feel especially doo-lan. After paying to integrate East germany, you now pay for the 3 little pigs. France as well, saddled with heavy social costs, I was told, in the next generation, France will probably be bankrupt.

Looking back at Asean-zone - even if we manage to form this united market - we are not uniform - not only in terms of affluence levels but in culture, langauge as well. For China, simple, one product, labelled in Chinese - you can sell few billions. India - one lanaguage - Hindi. In Asean-zone? How many langauges - Malay, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Tagalog....

I don't think it will materialise in the next 30 years minimum.

 

[Char_Azn]

Just FYI, India dun have 1 language. Different state have different languages. Many pple in India(usually the southern states) don't speak Hindi. Most of the time they end up speaking English with one another

 

[ginfreely]

FYI since you don't seem to know. SG national lauguage = MALAY

SG official lauguage = English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil

Unless the PRC China man doesn't even know how to speak Chinese, then I think that's a serious issue. I know a lot of eldery locals who can speak Chinese and Malay but not English. U want to ship them out of the country as well?

If you're not happy with a service person who doesn't speak the language of your choice(we have 4), go complain to their boss. In Hong Kong, they have 1, Cantonese and U cannot survive there without it unlike in SG.

Do you accord the same status to FT and SG elderly who have sweat and toiled years for the nation? Why put them together and compare?

FYI since you don't seem to know, it is PAP who want to ship SG elderly out of the country to JB.

Do you know English is our working language? Going by your logic, Indonesia maids know Malay and so no need to know English. Why SG government need them to take English test?

FT service staff serving tourists and don't know a word of English is a symptom of problem created by loose FT policy, go complain to one boss will not solve the problem. Need to address the problem at the correct policy level.