The 'glocalization' of Spanish in Asia ; Spanish language study and familial use in Hong Kong

Abstract

When the government of Hong Kong adopted the motto “Asia’s world city” in 2001, their aim was to signify to the world that this was a cosmopolitan, international city linking East with West. In an article published by The Straits Times of Singapore in September 2015, Sassen explains that there are only 100 cities around the world which she considers global cities and, among them, there are 3 of the utmost importance: Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong. She goes on to add that Hong Kong’s situation is different than that of Dubai and Singapore as they are both city-states, whereas Hong Kong is not;

Hong Kong has a special status within China. Hong Kong has historically been a quasi city-state, even if never fully autonomous, whether from Britain or China. It operates at another scale from Dubai and Singapore. It has a much longer history and has long been the intermediary between China and the world and the world and China.

(Sassen, 2015)