[philwelch]

Is Hong Kong still an appreciably freer market than mainland China? China has always seemed like it has problems with political corruption, to the point where having influence over the right people in the party/govt. is an essential business skill. How is Hong Kong on that?

[bwd2]

There might be certain areas of the economy where this is the case but I haven't seen anything like that since I've been here. I work for a startup financial firm and we have no "local" partners I'm aware of. The regulatory requirements are similar to operating a financial business in the US or UK. The legal system here is based on common law, I'm able to read and understand contracts as well as I can in the states, and I've personally met people who received legal training in the UK and practice in Hong Kong. Frankly, I think the market here is appreciably freer than that in the US given that the taxes are much lower and the infrastructure is on par.