titan uranus
Titan: I just love it when pilots play expert in legal and business affairs;
You make the assumption I’m just a pilot. We all know what happens when one makes assumptions.
however, just a typo on your part I'm sure, Qantas don't in fact own 66%, they own 33%.
I have never said or implied Qantas has a 66% ownership stake in Jetstar Hong Kong. The last time I looked both Qantas and China Eastern were foreign airlines. They are not headquartered in Hong Kong and don’t have their principal place of business here. Their combined ownership of Jetstar Hong Kong is 66%.
The Basic Law argument is far more complex than discussed so far on here. Poorly written legislation, penned in a different era - not a good place for HK Government to be as it is now placed in a zone it hates to be - the decision & precedent setting zone!
If that is the case then Australia, which by the way I am Australian and I can see the hypocritical argument being waged here by my fellow countrymen, needs to drop their 51% Australian ownership laws for international airlines based in Australia. That was written in a different time as well and some would say has served its purpose. The reality is that almost every country in the world has ownership laws that protect local airlines from being overrun by foreign players. That is a fact. So unless Australia opens up its doors to foreign carrier’s majority owning and operating international airlines out of Australia I suggest your argument is, well hypocritical.
Hong Kong has and always will dance to its own tune. To say Hong Kong finds itself in a place it would rather not be is an indication you don’t understand Hong Kong or for that matter this region.