Business contacts
Mobile phones Usage is very high (93%), yet it isn’t easy to hire phones on a daily or weekly basis. That’s because mobiles can be purchased very cheaply and accounts can be set up in a matter of minutes. Service providers include 3G (Tel: 2187 2082), SmarTone Vodafone (Tel: 2281 8888), and Sunday (Tel: 2113 8383). Prepaid SIM cards are available from these providers or from 7-11 shops. GSM 900 and 1800 networks provide coverage. Mobiles function just about everywhere, including the underground Mass Transit Railway (MTR).
Cars are available for hire from Hertz (Tel: 2525 1313, Email: enquiry@hertz.com. hk). Consider carefully whether a car is required. Public transport is very efficient and taxis are cheap.
Office rental and secretarial services can be obtained from Executive Business Services (Tel: 2827 7322, Email: business@bechk.com).
Local press
HK has a thriving and largely free press, but most publications are in traditional Chinese text. Much is sensational in nature, focusing on liaisons between Cantopop starlets and proto-tycoons on the up. But when serious issues emerge, journalists certainly report on them.
Hong Kong’s best-known English language daily, the South China Morning Post, once the most profitable newspaper in the world, has declined progressively since 1997 and now looks increasingly tired. Suggestions of political interference and intervention from Beijing have circulated. However, the ‘Business’ section features columnist Jake van de Kamp, and Harry Harrison’s topical cartoons usually raise a laugh.
On the other hand The Standard, billed as Hong Kong’s ‘business’ paper, has developed real teeth. It fearlessly reports events on both sides of the Chinese border and includes real analysis of important business decisions. The paper waged a concerted anti-Tung campaign.
HK Magazine offers listings and reviews along with smug commentary, often critical of the authorities.
Internet
Wireless is the way to go when visiting. Internet cafés are very thin on the ground, although Pacific Coffee Cafés generally have one or two complimentary computers for customers to use, and all have wi-fi. So bring a laptop.
The vast majority of hotel rooms have internet connections, an increasing number offer broadband, while more modern properties have wi-fi available in the rooms and selected areas.
Money
The Hong Kong dollar (HK$) is pegged to the US dollar (at HK$7.78 to US$1). At the time of writing, HK$14.45 equals [00a3]1. Given the recent decline in the dollar relative to the euro and the pound, there is some pressure to realign. That is unlikely to happen unless the PRC decides to allow the yuan (also pegged to the US dollar) to float freely, and that won’t happen until the dollar-yuan peg is seen to be working to China’s disadvantage.
The popular notion that everything is negotiable when buying and selling in Hong Kong dollars is an enduring myth without basis. The only people who haggle over prices in shops are tourists. All major credit cards are accepted by the vast majority of hotels, restaurants, retail outlets and service providers.
Tipping etiquette
Tipping is usual in hotels and restaurants, but it’s not required. Tips should be used to reward good service only. Taxi drivers do not expect gratuities.
Visa/vaccination
The majority of visitors do not need a visa for the length of an average business trip. Depending on nationality, visas, issued at the airport, last up to six months. Check with your local Chinese embassy for recent changes. No vaccinations are required.
Public holidays
Sundays are considered public holidays. The dates below are for 2006.
2nd Jan — The first weekday after 1st January
28th-31st Jan — Lunar New Year
5th Apr — Ching Ming Festival
14th April — Good Friday
15th April — The day following Good Friday
17th Apr — Easter Monday
1st May — Labour Day
5th May — the Buddha’s Birthday
31st May — Tuen Ng Festival
1st July — Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
2nd Oct — The day following National Day
6th-7th Oct — Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
30th Oct — Chung Yeung Festival
25th Dec — Christmas Day
26th Dec — The first weekday after Christmas Day
Weather and climate
Hong Kong has a sub-tropical climate, but visitors are often surprised by the cold winter, when temperatures can plummet to as low as 9C. Summers are hot, with temperatures averaging around 29C, which would be pleasant if it weren’t for the 95% humidity. During the typhoon season, from mid-May to late August, transport and working hours can be disrupted by storm warnings. Contact the Hong Kong Observatory for details (Tel: 2926 8200, website: www. weather.org.hk). Typhoons can be deadly, but direct hits are rare. The government operates a storm-warning system, broadcast on TV and radio. When the signal reaches No. 8, schools, courts and businesses close.
Suggested reading
Hong Kong: China’s New Colony
by Stephen Vines.
Hong Kong: Epilogue to an Empire
by Jan Morris.
Hong Kong: The Greater Pearl River Delta and the Rise of China
by Professor Michael Enright, Edith Scott and Kaman Chang.