Chinese bankers flock to HK even as lay-offs lead to exodus of expats

Hong Kong

A FLOOD of Chinese bankers is changing the social fabric of Hong Kong, as they rapidly expand their footprint in one of the world's premier financial centres, even as Beijing struggles to tame the former British colony politically.

Twenty years after Hong Kong's handover to Chinese rule, scores of mainland professionals are filling the elite financial ranks of Hong Kong, while a series of lay-offs at Western banks has led to an exodus of expatriates.