No new mega projects but other policies

[East_coast]

Under Sir Donald there was a rash of Mega-projects designed to get Hong Kong moving again.

For the domestic projects the picture seems mixed as the bill for Central-Wan Chai Bypass goes up HK$8b to HK$36b. The cruise ship terminal is a less than a resounding success. The MTR extensions will probably be OK but funded by the tax payer rather than by property development.

The through train to Panyu and the bridge to Macau's gambling halls along with their respective shopping malls still seem like integration projects similar to the new East corridor to Shenzhen that will start construction soon (even the the existing road links are not so busy) rather than anything to improve the HK economy.

Luckily CY Leung has chosen the more important issues of stemming baby Milk formula exports, lowering HK's birth rate, reducing foreign investment in property and picking fights with the Philippines rather than pouring concrete.

Is CY better than Donald?

[imparanoic]

Under Sir Donald there was a rash of Mega-projects designed to get Hong Kong moving again.

For the domestic projects the picture seems mixed as the bill for Central-Wan Chai Bypass goes up HK$8b to HK$36b. The cruise ship terminal is a less than a resounding success. The MTR extensions will probably be OK but funded by the tax payer rather than by property development.

The through train to Panyu and the bridge to Macau's gambling halls along with more shopping their respective shopping malls still seem like integration projects like the new East corridor to Shenzhen that will start construction soon (even the the existing road links are not so busy) rather than anything to improve the HK economy.

Luckily CY Leung has chosen the more important issues of stemming baby Milk formula exports, lowering HK's birth rate, reducing foreign investment in property and picking fights with the Philippines rather than pouring concrete.

Is CY better than Donald?

it's a bit early to judge CY (1 year and 4 months) compared tycoon rear licking predecessor ( 7 years)

also infrastructure takes time to plan and design, the three extensions and completely new line are currently being constructed ( and another new line still being planned), mtr took over a decade to plan (from railway development strategy 2000 project),
, the consultation period for next generation has only just started (possibly tsuen wan - gold coast - tuen mun, northern nt line connects tuen mun line to lok ma chau, possible new line to connect tung chung to north point, even a sz to hk airport link )

[East_coast]

it's a bit early to judge CY (1 year and 4 months) compared tycoon rear licking predecessor ( 7 years)

also infrastructure takes time to plan and design, the three extensions and completely new line are currently being constructed ( and another new line still being planned), mtr took over a decade to plan (from railway development strategy 2000 project),
, the consultation period for next generation has only just started (possibly tsuen wan - gold coast - tuen mun, northern nt line connects tuen mun line to lok ma chau, possible new line to connect tung chung to north point, even a sz to hk airport link )

The projects you list are all domestic and would be for the benefit of HK (ex Shenzhen airport link - they have anew runway and will soon start competing with HK so not needed) . That is slightly different from the two biggest project under Donald which seem to be about integration.

[East_coast]

Original Post Deleted

So is Beijing worse or better than the property developers?

[imparanoic]

Original Post Deleted

that's a bit strong, considering cy has implemented policy which prevented our health system and basic commodities in used/abused by mainlanders, which mr bowtie could be bothered with

there is more evidence that his predecessor was a rear licking Beijing as much as cy

IMO, so far CY has kept a fair balance, though, he still seems sly

[East_coast]

cy has implemented policy which prevented our health system and basic commodities in used/abused by mainlanders,

The effective shutting down of mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong was a knee jerk populist move. Hong Kong NEEDS babies and it can afford to pick and choose who gives birth here. This policy will be reversed or modified very soon.

Milk powder debacle is a good example of populist poor administration. There was no shortage of baby food and the real issue being the awful CEPA agreements the still don't let SME HK based service industries compete on the mainland. Turning off the tap for milk powder has only reduced the amount that flows through Hong Kong. This policy will be reversed or modified very soon.

[Watercooler]

Under Sir Donald there was a rash of Mega-projects designed to get Hong Kong moving again.

For the domestic projects the picture seems mixed as the bill for Central-Wan Chai Bypass goes up HK$8b to HK$36b. The cruise ship terminal is a less than a resounding success. The MTR extensions will probably be OK but funded by the tax payer rather than by property development.

The through train to Panyu and the bridge to Macau's gambling halls along with their respective shopping malls still seem like integration projects similar to the new East corridor to Shenzhen that will start construction soon (even the the existing road links are not so busy) rather than anything to improve the HK economy.

Luckily CY Leung has chosen the more important issues of stemming baby Milk formula exports, lowering HK's birth rate, reducing foreign investment in property and picking fights with the Philippines rather than pouring concrete.

Is CY better than Donald?

I agree with the other poster that it's too early to judge CY, despite the vocal opposition he has endured.

As for mega-projects, some of them are quite necessary and beneficial to HK. The extension of the MTR Island line as well as the brand-new South Island line is much-needed to improve traffic and meet the transportation needs of residents.

The cruise terminal has just been completed and it's also too early to judge whether it is a success or failure. It is quite possible that it will be a future success with an uptick in passenger traffic after mainland tourists can now go to Japan and South Korea from HK (http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/a...i-tak-terminal).

True, the high speed train link and HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge is more debatable in terms of benefits, but even so, one can argue it will also benefit HK. The high speed link does not just stop at Panyu but links up to the rest of the Beijing-Guangzhou high speed rail. Passengers can then have the option to use rail instead of the frequently delayed flights in China.

There has been alot of questions and skepticism about the high construction cost of the rail, but the rail link can generate what economists called positive "externalities", creating net economic benefits for the region as a whole, even if the cost of rail construction can never be recouped. The World Bank for instance has said high-speed railway between Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, and Nanning, in Guangxi, would generate benefits of 99 billion yuan (HK$122.9 billion) over the next 30 years. This comprises 50 billion yuan in direct benefits, including savings in passenger time and ticket sales, and 49 billion yuan in indirect economic benefits not captured in conventional cost-benefit analysis. (http://www.scmp.com/business/economy...nomic-benefits).