Dear editor,

Recently, a survey which has revealed more and more people going to Mainland China for shopping has shocked most local traders who worried about their businesses getting poorer and poorer. The survey conducted by the Government has showed that more Hong Kong people like going to Shen Zhen for consumption as the food and goods there are much cheaper than in Hong Kong. This consumption habit tends to become more common as the people cannot afford the high living standard in Hong Kong. However, some people think that indeed this is not good to the economy of Hong Kong. It is believed that the consumption habit will put a pressure on the economic recovery.

The qualities of food in Mainland China are not reliable. According to some statistics, the hygiene conditions in 86% of the restaurants in China cannot meet the official standards. There are often mice in the kitchens and hence the food is easily contaminated. It is possible to get some diseases after having meals in these restaurants. Although the prices are much lower, it is not worthwhile to scarify some health for the little amount of money. Moreover, the goods are of low quality. The handbags and shoes produced in Shen Zhen are often fake. The producers take advantage of the famous brands in Hong Kong so as to attract more consumers to buy their goods. The Hong Kong people are often cheated by the frauds. There is no doubt that Hong Kong people cannot afford to pay for the high prices of the goods as Hong Kong is now under an economic downturn. 7% of the local labor force is unemployed. But if they buy the fake in Mainland, they tend to throw the money into the sea.

The public security in Mainland is not good and safe. The belongings of the Hong Kong people are often stolen when they stroll in the shopping malls. Last year, my father went to Shen Zhen to do some businesses. When he stepped out the station, he wanted to contact his partner. Once he took out the mobile phone from the pocket, a thief suddenly rushed towards him and robbed it. My father could no longer chase the thief as the station was very crowded. This shows that the thief had planned how to do the robbery. Admittedly, if the Hong Kong people protect their belongings carefully, they would not suffer any loss. However the gangsters in China are often in groups of several members. One of them might disperse the target's attention while another member is to steal. So it is difficult to avoid. Therefore, if Hong Kong people go to Mainland frequently, they will easily be robbed.

Besides , there is some harm to the economy of Hong Kong. Spending money in Mainland China tends to reduce the rate of economic growth. Now Hong Kong is in an economic recession and suffers from deflation. The unemployment rate reaches an unexpected high rate. Foreign investors do not have confidence to invest in Hong Kong. If everyone goes to Mainland to consume, the shops in Hong Kong will close as they could not make enough profits. This will actually worsen the local economy and it will no longer recover. It is true that Hong Kong people's consumption habit would only help little in the economic recovery. The most important part is the actions taken by the Government and the market mechanism. But Hong Kong is our home. We are members of it. We need to be united to overcome the difficulties. What we can do is to stay in Hong Kong to make our consumption.

All in all, it is beneficial to both the local economy and Hong Kong people when we spend money locally. We can enjoy better qualities of goods and services in a safer way. So why don't we stay in Hong Kong to consume, instead of spending money in risks?

Yours sincerely,

Chris