But more significantly, there are no barriers to other players entering the property market if they have the necessary financial, professional and management resources. In short, the market is freely accessible. The government's land sales and property development project vetting systems do not favour any developers. A level playing field applies to all. As a way of enhancing competition, our land disposal programme provides a range of sites suitable for either large or small developers, and we will be forever careful that in this programme, unless there are overriding town planning or engineering considerations, we make our sites on sale as small as reasonably possible.
Supermarkets are another sector that has often been cited as monopolistic.
Again, market concentration does not by itself mean lack of competition. There are other supermarket chains. There are many other forms of private sector retail trade for foodstuffs and household products which are alternative outlets for the sale of a whole range of dry and wet goods, particularly foodstuffs. There are of course government markets established all over Hong Kong. Their provision and operation are heavily subsidised.