Don’t think it’s over

HONG KONG (AFP) - Western expatriates are deserting Hong Kong in huge numbers, statistics from the government showed Sunday, raising fears the southern Chinese city is losing its shine for overseas executives.

The number of Britons, Australians, Americans and Canadians in the city has dropped by 10 percent, according to immigration department figures, from 79,190 in 2005 to 71,150 last year.

Britons registered the biggest drop, from 13,490 in 2005 to 11,420 -- a fraction of the 175,000 that were resident in 1997, when sovereignty of the city passed from Britain to China.

The decline is likely to raise concerns for the overseas image of the financial hub at a time when rising pollution and competition from mainland Chinese cities is perceived to be drawing executive talent away.