FX Empire: The Umbrella Movement's Potential Domino Effect -- Part 2
Hong Kong has greatly benefited from its strategic proximity to China and its role as an active seaport. It has been further bolstered by the very Western incentives of free trade, low tax rates, limited regulation, and all other things bestowed by economic freedom. In just 50 years, the small island of just over 7 million people has managed to register a per capita income equal to that of the United States and is now a major tech sweet spot and international financial center. Ranked as one of the freest economies in the world, Hong Kong has played a critical role as mediator and negotiator in ferrying the substantial flow of Chinese trade and investment.
Perhaps most important of all, Hong Kong has given China critical access to global markets and functioned as a stable environment for trade. With a fair court system and pro-business protections, Hong Kong has helped Chinese companies raise billions in capital and loan financing while their homeland has remained historically isolated and closed-off.