May 2022

I am hunkered down here in HK thinking about how to deal with the CCP and the local government. The depression that is generally felt throughout HK, a lot of people have decided to bail out. Firsthand, one of our main underwriting lines is marine cargo insurance. HK export volumes of HH Goods/Personal Effects business has boomed. The volume is up 180% over 2019. In a normal year if we managed 5-6% growth, that would have been “interesting.” Meanwhile the local government is tediously incompetent. HK is now China, and we are caught up in the lousy decision-making apparatus of both the hugely nationalistic local government and Beijing. Meantime I have decided to soldier on for perhaps two years more at the most. Many of my friends, both expats and locals, have decamped. Last, but not least, I have connected with a lady friend who keeps me from going off the deep end.