None are the island's major trading partners and none are important players on the world stage.
No one enjoys going to Immigration Tower, where the forms are long and the queues longer. But if you're a foreigner and want to live in Hong Kong, you must spend time in the anonymous skyscraper to secure a visa and an all-important identity card. That was the intention of 23 people who entered the glass-clad building in Hong Kong's Wanchai district last week and made their way to the 13th floor. Using highly flammable paint thinner, they set off a fireball that injured 44 people, seven of them critically. That type of violent protest is rare in Hong Kong, where political activism is frowned upon by the Beijing-installed government.