Hong Kong bills itself as “Asia’s world city” and the boast is justified. The cosmopolitan territory was returned to mainland Chinese control in 1997 but remains autonomous: it presents itself to the world as a link to China that has a separate legal system and financial regulation. After finance, the property, retail and leisure sectors dominate activity.

The case for: English is the lingua franca in business, law and the professional sectors. The city has excellent infrastructure and transparent regulation, and setting up a bank account is easy. It also has a pool of highly skilled workers, thanks to academic institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, which ranks 28th globally. A low income tax rate, warm climate and high standard of living attract talent from around the world.

Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the big cities of south China’s manufacturing heartland, can be reached by train within a couple of hours.