Chinese shipping companies can be expected to acquire stakes in Hong Kong shipowners, and this could all be expanded to actions for newspapers, television studios, department stores, and every other line of business. Even the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, whose name is synonymous with the territory, moved its domicile to London. This trend to off-shore domiciles is especially prevalent among new incorporations and listings. Much of this action actually began in 1990, when U.S. lawyers were hired by wealthy Hong Kong Chinese business people to find a way to protect their personal assets. These business people, who appear to be champions of China's recovery of Hong Kong, are the largest clients of trust business in the British Crown Colony of the Cayman Islands.
Actions do speak louder than words.