Women can be seen walking alone at all hours. For now, he is enjoying his stay, although he flies home every six weeks and maintains daily contact with his wife and two sons through the Internet. Officials at the American consulate, located among the exclusive hillside homes on Hong Kong Island's south side, admit they have an emergency plan to get Americans out of Hong Kong in case there is trouble. Aides at the American consulate express mild concern about the increased Chinese military expected in Hong Kong. There is a large number of people in Hong Kong wondering if this is a safe place to be.
Many officials here believe the international media have overblown the conflicts with China.
Important agreements, such as China's decision to move Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal from Britain back to Hong Kong, not Beijing, have been downplayed, they say. They may have a point. Yet in spite their optimism, most leaders do say they expect the seas of transition to be a little choppy. So does Robert Broadfoot, a veteran political and economic consultant based in Hong Kong since 1975. He says Hong Kong's government and business elite have blundered by suggesting that everything will be status quo.