Readers discuss the many cultures that converge at a recreation ground, the city’s declining birth rate, the disadvantage of elders switching to the JoyYou card, and fatal taxi accidents.

From an angry plane passenger in China demanding ‘free’ seats to Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific hiring 100 mainland Chinese cabin crew, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Readers discuss how the city can attract tourists from the Muslim world, lure expats back from the Middle East, and secure its status as a shipping hub.

Foreign business leaders also call for ‘seamless travel’ within Greater Bay Area using only Hong Kong identity cards and option of self-service clearance channels for expats.

From radiation readings at the Fukushima power plant not adding up to Singapore dethroning Hong Kong as the world’s freest economy, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

In New York, PM Fumio Kishida is to outline major plans to entice foreign wealth management firms, looking at the likes of tax, tech, AI and helping female and foreign staff to thrive.

Foreign talent needed to maintain the city’s international status, say business chambers and experts.

Mainlanders made up more than nine in 10 of all approved to come under various talent schemes this year

The contrast between two of Asia’s prime financial hubs underscores Hong Kong’s path to recovery from the pandemic as Singapore’s policy measures to tackle soaring property prices start to bite.

The wait could take longer, according to analysts, as high borrowing costs and economic uncertainty continue to weigh on investors’ appetite for luxury flats in the city.

Companies seen to be pivoting to mainland market, with emphasis on Cantonese or Mandarin-speaking skills.

Expatriate pay packages in Hong Kong were estimated at more than HK$2.18 million a year in 2022.

Residential rents in Hong Kong and Singapore remain close to parity after the gap shrank dramatically over the past five years, signifying the diverging fortunes of the rival Asian financial hubs, official data compiled by property consultancy CBRE showed.

Expats focus on trade-offs while living in costly Hong Kong, as surveys confirm what they already know about pricey living.

Mainland Chinese and Japanese cities drop in rankings, with both Beijing and Tokyo exiting the top 10.

New York dethrones Hong Kong, which came in at No 2 in ECA International ranking.

Limited lab space, lack of modern equipment, and high rents, putting off academic staff from overseas, foreign scientists say.

A CBRE report cites the scale of Hong Kong’s financial industry and its talent pool as key advantages, while a narrowing office-rent gap tightens the race between the perennial rivals.

Residential rent increases of more than 40 per cent and mounting operational costs mean seven in 10 businesses are considering relocating personnel out of the city state, a survey by the European Chamber of Commerce found.

Last year, rents for private housing in the city state shot up at their fastest rate in 15 years, leading one expat to warn that ‘anyone who can leave is leaving Singapore’.

Singapore home rents surged nearly 30 per cent last year, catching up with the notoriously high rents in rival finance hub Hong Kong and reducing one of the Lion City’s advantages in the war for talent.

Hong Kong companies are among the world’s fastest hiring firms, a new study by human resources platform Deel shows. This suggests that the city’s dearth of talent remains a problem.

Hong Kong was placed 92 in 2022 ranking of more than 500 cities by global human resources consultancy, falling several spots below Taipei.

Those who’ve left may not return, but insiders say Hong Kong’s status as a gateway to mainland China will attract ‘a new wave of expats’ following the money – as Singapore battles rising inflation and soaring rents.

Expats should be open-minded and willing to compromise, say agents, with property typically smaller than in other markets.