Hong Kong’s economic transparency looks to be the next victim of Chinese authoritarianism


Source: washingtonpost.com washingtonpost.com

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CHINA’S LEADERS believe they can crush the democracy movement in Hong Kong while preserving its glittery reputation as a bastion of Asian capitalism. But can they? In recent days, China’s puppet regime in Hong Kong has decided to curb access to a government registry that journalists, banks and others use to identify the true owners of companies and property. This is another step backward from Hong Kong’s storied transparency and a sign that authoritarianism is creeping into economic life as well. Currently, the registry permits a search for residential addresses and full identification numbers of directors of Hong Kong companies....