No. it was an island of freedom ruled by the Brits. No more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL80xP86HGs

The political regime is significantly different and the domestic product per capita (at purchasing power parity) is 3.7x that of China proper.

I don’t know why me taking exception to your remark means I’m a ‘fan’ of Mainland China. China has had it’s accomplishments over the last 40 years but is also a source of anxiety.

I’m not seeing how Hong Kong was ‘relevant’ in 1997 (when its real GDP was 1/2 what it is today) but ‘irrelevant’ in 2018. It’s a small, affluent territory. That’s just what it was 20 years ago.

“There are many blessings to be thankful for. Not the least of them is the blast of truth our legacy leaders daily reveal about themselves. America sees real intentions and purposes on display in a way few polities have the opportunity to. We can make use of that. Much lies in our hands — and what does not is mostly out of the power of those who would harm us.

Stepping into a brave new world has its discomforts. But I think more and more people see the futility of clinging to the familiar old one, with its rituals and conventions that no longer represent reality, but only a shadow of what reality once was. What is preserved will be what we prize in our hearts.

The president doesn’t always tweet or speak in defensible ways. It is what it is. His New Year greeting tweet will resonate as a watchword for 2019, however.”

@realDonaldTrump

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE HATERS AND THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA! 2019 WILL BE A FANTASTIC YEAR FOR THOSE NOT SUFFERING FROM TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME. JUST CALM DOWN AND ENJOY THE RIDE, GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING FOR OUR COUNTRY!

Per Trading Economics, its annual per capita product at purchasing power parity is slightly higher than that of the United States. Its unemployment rate is under 3%, about 60% of the population over 16 is employed right how (same as here), and its inflation rate is only mildly elevated at 2.6% per year. It also has a current account surplus on its balance of payments, something this country hasn’t had in about 35 years. The one intractable problem from which it currently suffers is horribly low fertility (TFR is 1.2 children per woman per lifetime), a problem it shares with all of the affluent countries of the peripheral Far East bar Malaysia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4TFedidkpk

Their exchange begins at 3:52

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkFHdbpVpC8&t=9s