Singapore Wants 'stable, Calm, Prosperous' Hong Kong

Singapore's prime minister said on Tuesday he was not looking to woo businesses out of Hong Kong, saying it was more important to preserve calm after the imposition of the controversial security law.

"We think it's better for Hong Kong and better for the region -- and Singapore -- if Hong Kong is stable and calm and prosperous," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

"On balance, I would say I much prefer Hong Kong doing well than to have people looking for places to go out of Hong Kong," he told a virtual event of the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Singapore and Hong Kong are two of the major hubs in Asia for international companies, which are drawn to the prosperous cities' investor-friendly policies and rule of law.

Lee said the two cities had a "friendly competition" but not a "very serious rivalry," pointing to advantages enjoyed by each metropolis including Hong Kong's position as a gateway to China.

Beijing in June defied US warnings and imposed a national security law that bans subversion and other offences in Hong Kong, which last year experienced massive and at times destructive pro-democracy demonstrations.

The move has sent a chill through activists in Hong Kong although it has so far triggered only limited corporate departures from the city. (AFP)