Hong Kong to set up a new city in Ireland?

Muahahaha

Sunday Times reports that via freedom of information requests they found out that the Dept of Foreign Affairs has been in discussions with a Hong Kong businessman about setting up a new Hong Kong on Irish soil. 6 locations have been discussed.

The Times revealed that six locations in Ireland were discussed by government officials as possible sites for a new autonomous city named Nextpolis proposed by a wealthy Hong Kong businessman.
Via The Times:

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with the Victoria Harbour Group (VHG), an international charter city investment company, since December about a plan to create a city from scratch that would be home to tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents.
Documents released under freedom of information laws show that a series of meetings have taken place in Ireland and Hong Kong in recent months about sourcing a 500 sq km area of land for the new city.
Tim Mawe, regional director in the Asia Pacific Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs, replied: “Many thanks for your message and for the interesting conversation last week.” He added: “As regards Sim City [The proposed city was referred to as Sim City in its early stages,], I note that you will be in touch with David [Costello, Ireland’s consul in Hong Kongl and I again. At that point, we can see what to do next.”

It would be independent of Ireland and the EU and control its own borders

… the city would have an initial population of between 50,000 but would grow to 500,000 over 20 years, with at least 50 per cent made of people from Hong Kong, and 15-30 per cent from Ireland and Europe. It states the city would have a “free reforming economic system” within Ireland; an independent relationship with the EU; control of its own borders; a low and simple taxation system; no foreign exchange control; and an emphasis on “ease of setting up and conducting businesses”.

https://www.broadsheet.ie/2020/07/25/hong-kong-phooey/
This sounds like a plan for a tax haven on top of a tax haven. Its also remarkable that Simon Coveneys Dept of Foreign Affairs have been having secret discussions about selling Irish territory and not a word about it from him.

These are the six locations that were pinpointed for 50,000 Hong Kongers to immigrate to

JasonStatham

Ah yeah....that'd work.brits colonial past screwing up Ireland yet again

ILoveYourVibes

There was as a story about this years ago. Hogwash.

Man with broke phone

Areas that need the investment. Waterford could do with some building employment. What's the problem?

Do you think Irish people own all them hotels and office blocks getting built in dublin at the moment?

Sometimes the stupidest people believe they are the smartest and they think they need to save everyone from their lack of interest in whatever bothers the stupidest people.

Eric Cartman

control of its own borders; a low and simple taxation system;

sign me up...

I’d hope we’d burn the whole country to the ground before we allowed anything like this to happen.

PsychoPete

kravmaga

No thanks, it took us 800 years to get rid of the Brits, we don't want China sticking their noses into our country.

Its not April 1st is it? lol The whole concept/ idea seems farcical...

ILoveYourVibes

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

I’d hope we’d burn the whole country to the ground before we allowed anything like this to happen.

Have ye seen hongkong? Apart from the chinese govt its awesome!

Get Real

Muahahaha wrote: »

It would be independent of Ireland and the EU and control its own borders

Conflicting report from a month before this one in the Times

"Mr Ko stressed that it wouldn't be a new country, and that it would be an Irish city with many Hong Kong residents.

He explained: "The new city still belongs to the host country, and there is no issue about sovereignty because we are just residents of this city."

And the new city "...would overall be governed by Irish laws and the legal system"

https://www.newstalk.com/news/developer-looks-ireland-potential-home-new-city-hong-kong-people-1035574

Interesting how the two articles contradict each other completely.

statesaver

' control of it's own borders ' Is that not racist though ??

Build it on the Galway / Mayo border and call it Hong Kong Cong or New Kong Cong.

tabby aspreme

Bring it on, isn't there a shortage of Doctor's and Engineers

intellectual dosser

This has to be a serious level of trolling.

ronivek

The cheek of the Government having discussions about multi-billion euro multi-year foreign investment in Ireland. Scandalous.

saabsaab

This was talked about before about 10 years ago but the scale was a problem. Athlone was mooted as the new Chinatown (plenty of space and water, central too) As far as I recall the Irish side were talking about 100k but China was looking at one million plus!



If it was Cork it would give a new meaning to 'Caucasian'.

An Ri rua

Build it in Port Stanley. When the Aussies break their contracts with the Chinese. Really p*ss the Chinese off.
Sounded like a great idea to the Aussies too. Just wait til BallyHongKong decide they want NATO defending their air space, like Iceland do. Or our people come calling for their land back in 20, 50 or 100 years. And we'll probably show less restraint, rightly so, than the Chinese have to date.

Maybe sell them Rockall. Not owning it shouldn't matter.

joseywhales

Control of its own borders and independent relationship with the eu. This is 100% fake, no country on earth would accept that.

expectationlost

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

There was as a story about this years ago. Hogwash.

you thinking of this ? https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/337-acre-chinatown-hub-comes-to-athlone-26848974.html

JJayoo

More hot Asian girls..... yessssssssssssssssssss

PsychoPete

JJayoo wrote: »

More hot Asian girls..... yessssssssssssssssssss

Finally some hot Asian girls in my area

touts

Are these the same lads who wanted to build a city near Athlone

Or the lads that wanted to turn Two Mile Borris into Las Vegas.


I suspect the Times office is back open for the first time since mid March and someone picked up an early draft of article that was sitting on a desk meant to be published on April 1st.

4068ac1elhodqr

How many could you sqeeze onto Horse Island?
This was recently sold to some mystery international/eu big shot with bags o' cash.

Sure it's only 157-acres, but when you have H'Kong type of skyscrapers, of upto 1,588 ft tall, tis as good as new Singapore.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-53430666
A bargain anyway at just €5.5m, has own beach, pier and heliport.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Horse+Island/@51.5160601,-9.6090988,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x48459888e700405d:0x3f79c9de32925661!8m2!3d51.5163046!4d-9.4680023

你好熱亞洲女士 Nǐ hǎo rè yàzhōu nǚshì

James Brown

Muahahaha wrote: »

Sunday Times reports that via freedom of information requests they found out that the Dept of Foreign Affairs has been in discussions with a Hong Kong businessman about setting up a new Hong Kong on Irish soil. 6 locations have been discussed.



It would be independent of Ireland and the EU and control its own borders


https://www.broadsheet.ie/2020/07/25/hong-kong-phooey/
This sounds like a plan for a tax haven on top of a tax haven. Its also remarkable that Simon Coveneys Dept of Foreign Affairs have been having secret discussions about selling Irish territory and not a word about it from him.

These are the six locations that were pinpointed for 50,000 Hong Kongers to immigrate to

Like Cork

If it fares well can we get them to run the rest of the country?

What's funnier? The article or the outrage it caused?

expectationlost

Get Real wrote: »

Conflicting report from a month before this one in the Times

"Mr Ko stressed that it wouldn't be a new country, and that it would be an Irish city with many Hong Kong residents.

He explained: "The new city still belongs to the host country, and there is no issue about sovereignty because we are just residents of this city."

And the new city "...would overall be governed by Irish laws and the legal system"

https://www.newstalk.com/news/developer-looks-ireland-potential-home-new-city-hong-kong-people-1035574

Interesting how the two articles contradict each other completely.

Times seem to have taken it as an International Charter City and Newstalk just a Charter City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_city

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Poppycock.

Wasn't there something about this years ago, remember reading about it in the Sunday World, it was to be called City of the Sacred Heart or some such scutter, to be built somewhere around Ballaghadereen or Ballyhaunis.

That Chinese trading hub in Athlone never even got going, and that sounded at least do-able, even if it was never anything more than a pipe dream.

0ph0rce0

joseywhales wrote: »

Control of its own borders and independent relationship with the eu. This is 100% fake, no country on earth would accept that.

For a few brown envelopes you could guarantee us gobshítes would.

LiquidZeb

Niner leprauchan wrote: »

What's funnier? The article or the outrage it caused?

Well look at all the knuckledraggers it gathered here waving their pitchforks around at the thought of foreigners moving to their precious isle. One of them proclaimed he'd burn it down before he let's it happen.

Kaybaykwah

statesaver wrote: »

' control of it's own borders ' Is that not racist though ??

Build it on the Galway / Mayo border and call it Hong Kong Cong or New Kong Cong.

How about Congemarra.

Mr. Karate

kravmaga wrote: »

No thanks, it took us 800 years to get rid of the Brits, we don't want China sticking their noses into our country.

Its not April 1st is it? lol The whole concept/ idea seems farcical...

Given how treasonous our Govt is I can easily see them doing this.

Mr. Karate

joseywhales wrote: »

Control of its own borders and independent relationship with the eu. This is 100% fake, no country on earth would accept that.

Yeah, because foreigners coming to Europe and creating their own ethnostates [or No Go zones if you wish] has not been happening throughout Europe the last number of years.

PsychoPete

Some Chinese lad on todayfm weeks ago talking about it, also looking at other countries around the world to make a new city. Personal I think the Chinese are using this as an excuse to take over countries

Spanish Eyes

If even remotely true and given all the shenanigans going on in HK who knows, they at least they would be funding themselves, unlike the motley crew of asylum seekers that just rock up and don't like DP at all god help them.

Del2005

Considering the trouble in getting planning permission to build a data centre in a rural location or a moderately tall building anywhere in Ireland I can see this flying through ABP and zero legal challenges to the courts if it passes ABP.

Mr. Karate

PsychoPete wrote: »

Some Chinese lad on todayfm weeks ago talking about it, also looking at other countries around the world to make a new city. Personal I think the Chinese are using this as an excuse to take over countries

Remember Kids. Colonization is only bad when White People do it.

PsychoPete

Mr. Karate wrote: »

Remember Kids. Colonization is only bad when White People do it.

Hijpo

They cant come to Waterford we already have the Saudis moving in. We cant have religious battles between Buddhists and muslims in our city.

Some fella blasting the Koran over loud speakers trying to drown out gongs and buddhist chants.

Mr. Karate

PsychoPete wrote: »

Keep telling yourself that.

Mr. Karate

Hijpo wrote: »

They cant come to Waterford we already have the Saudis moving in. We cant have religious battles between Buddhists and muslims in our city.

Some fella blasting the Koran over loud speakers trying to drown out gongs and buddhist chants.

The Chinese are Communists so they'll most likely be Atheists. Still an interesting battle to see which side the "Religion has no place in society" crowd here will be on.

dd973

Can just imagine Con Houlihan looking down at the 2070 Kerry All Ireland winners.....'WTF!'

Chris_Heilong

Fist of all that is very strange and second such a move will be seen as an insult to China and China being so petty might lead to trouble for any Irish living there or who have business there.

Chris_Heilong

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Have ye seen hongkong? Apart from the chinese govt its awesome!

Also very polluted and in as far as China goes it possibly has the biggest crime rings.

dwayneshintzy

Hong Kong is an unbelievably safe city, particularly when you look at violent crime.....pollution can be bad t times, but it's not on the level of mainland Chinese cities.

Polar101

I think the government missed out on a chance to sell Leitrim or Roscommon to some rich guy.

KyussB

I mean, the government have been figuratively selling off our country to foreign investors for years - it only makes sense for them to start literally doing it as well.

deathbomber

will they be ateing the bats then?

expectationlost

PsychoPete wrote: »

Some Chinese lad on todayfm weeks ago talking about it, also looking at other countries around the world to make a new city. Personal I think the Chinese are using this as an excuse to take over countries

did he refer to himself as Chinese?

Invidious

Muahahaha wrote: »

This sounds like a plan for a tax haven on top of a tax haven.

That's why it will never fly. The top 10% of earners pay 61% of all personal income tax. If those 10% moved to New Hong Kong, the Irish tax system would collapse.

dwayneshintzy

dwayneshintzy wrote: »

Hong Kong is an unbelievably safe city, particularly when you look at violent crime.....pollution can be bad t times, but it's not on the level of mainland Chinese cities.

Depends which cities you're comparing it to... Not all mainland Cities are heavily polluted, and many have improved dramatically over the last five years. But yes, the tier 1 Chinese cities are far more polluted, but then, their populations are also far higher.

Typically, mainland Chinese cities would be as safe, if not safer than HK, for westerners. Both HK and mainland China are dodgy as hell for natives, it's just kept away from the main streets.

Mr. Karate

Mr. Karate wrote: »

The Chinese are Communists so they'll most likely be Atheists. Still an interesting battle to see which side the "Religion has no place in society" crowd here will be on.

Genuine atheism is pretty rare. Most Chinese are Buddhist/Taoist, with a large number being either Christian or Muslim. Ancestor worship is also pretty common. Just because they've never allowed a centralised authority for religion, doesn't mean that they're atheists. The hallmark of communism is that most rules are selectively applied, and there's a big difference between what is done in private/public.

Mrs OBumble

kravmaga wrote: »

No thanks, it took us 800 years to get rid of the Brits, we don't want China sticking their noses into our country.

Its not April 1st is it? lol The whole concept/ idea seems farcical...

Read some more current affairs. It's absolutely not a joke.

The people this city us for are of Chinese ethnic origin, but the city is being sought specifically because they don't want to become part of the political entity that is China.