Hong Kong Can Learn From Switzerland: Innovation, Not Just low costs, Is the Path too Prosperity
September 12, 2025 – A walk through Hong Kong’s streets reveals a troubling trend: a proliferation of budget eateries, discount stores, and online shopping pick-up points. While seemingly innocuous,this shift signals a potential misstep in Hong Kong’s economic conversion.Relying on cheap consumption isn’t a sustainable strategy for an international financial center like Hong Kong, where high-end industries should be driving competitiveness, not racing to the bottom on price.
The question then becomes: what is the path forward? the answer, surprisingly, may lie in a small, landlocked European nation: Switzerland.
This column will explore Switzerland’s remarkable journey of economic rebirth, hoping to offer inspiration to a hong Kong grappling with self-doubt. Switzerland, a country with some of the world’s highest production costs, hasn’t succumbed to a race to the bottom. Instead, it has consistently focused on innovation and adding value.
Beyond Cost: A Comparative Look
It’s easy to assume Hong Kong’s costs are cripplingly high, but a closer look reveals a more nuanced picture. The Economist’s “Big Mac Index” shows a Big Mac costs US$3.01 in Hong Kong (approximately HK$23.5) compared to US
