It has been a difficult time for Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihoods over recent years, as social mobility weakens, wealth disparity worsens and social polarisation deepens. At the 8th ‘INSIGHT FORUM’ webinar organised by Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF), Professor Richard Wong, Philip Wong Kennedy Wong Professor at The University of Hong Kong, expressed that an ‘Affordable Homeownership for All Hong Kong People’ is the sole answer to Hong Kong’s severe problems regarding livelihood and populism.

In the face of social upheaval last year, Covid-19 pandemic and the recent political and economic turbulence, the prospect of Hong Kong has been shrouded with uncertainties. The Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF) today organised the seventh session of ‘INSIGHT FORUM’ with Professor Chack-fan Lee, President of the Chu Hai College of Higher Education, and a Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who shared his profound insights on life enrichment, his experience in water resources management in China over the past 30 years, and his meticulous scholarship in the field of engineering.

The combination of social unrest, Covid-19 and deteriorating Sino-US relations is presenting Hong Kong with unprecedented challenges. In this connection, doubts have been raised on the sustainability of Hong Kong as an international financial centre and the 37-year-old Linked Exchange Rate System. The Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF) today organised the sixth session of ‘INSIGHT FORUM’ with Joseph Yam, Former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Non-official Member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government, who shared his insight on the status of Hong Kong as an international financial centre and the future outlook of its monetary system.

While governments contemplate or implement the exiting of Covid-19 lockdowns and the reopening of stalled economies, an early stage of asymmetrical normalization is apparent. Meanwhile, the global shortage of medical supplies during the early stages of outbreak has stoked concerns over supply chain security and triggered assertive nationalism.