Hong Kong, remade in Beijing’s image, rebounds as a global financial center

HONG KONG – After the streets of this fabled city filled with sometimes violent pro-democracy protests – and then emptied just as suddenly amid a strict covid quarantine – many people thought Hong Kong was finished as a global financial center. Four years later, the Fragrant Harbor has rebounded. The number of initial stock offerings is up, and multinational businesses are no longer heading for the exits. Earlier this year, Hong Kong for the first time surpassed Switzerland as the top global hub for offshore financial assets with $2.9 trillion, according to the Boston Consulting Group. But Chinese rule has…