Hong Kong as a communications hub : Is deregulation enough?

This article discusses the role of deregulation in maintaining Hong Kong as a communications hub in the Asia-Pacific region. It points out that simply deregulating the market will not warrant a hubbing role for Hong Kong. The adequacy of the deregulatory measures to ensure genuine competition, the maintenance of freedom of information after 1997 when Hong Kong reverts to China and the competition from Chinese coastal cities, especially from Canton, will all determine whether the enviable position of Hong Kong as a communications hub in the region will be threatened. The potential loss of freedom of information in Hong Kong is its greatest threat in the coming decade and the competition from China's coastal cities will be the great challenge in the century to come.