So, like I said, if that flight had been about HKG-MAN a way would have been found. The fact that the HKG-DME went ahead anyway shows what CX's prime motivation was in that case (and nothing wrong with that by the way).
And without stating the obvious, since there is no BMi to object anymore, why is the plane sat on the ground in Moscow if MAN is such a prize?
As an infrequent flyer to HKG, I couldn't have imagined going via DME anyway.
A 1-stop flight is a 1-stop flight - may as well go on the A380 all the way with Emirates. Takes a bit longer but boy is it so much better than CX.
In order for that to change to the point of viability, CX would need to offer a non-stop and as you say that isn't going to happen for a while yet.