AH Challenge: Macau an Asian Tiger

RousseauX

Donor
With a POD no earlier than 1900, how can we make Macau as successful as Hong Kong in OTL?
Macau's GDP per capita is -higher- than Hong Kong's so it is more successful than Hong Kong is on a per capita level.

The problem with Macau's economy on an absolute level is that Macau is much much smaller than Hong Kong and Singapore (less than 1/10 of the population of HK) and therefore unlikely to achieve the same level of prominence.
 
Macau's GDP per capita is -higher- than Hong Kong's so it is more successful than Hong Kong is on a per capita level.

The problem with Macau's economy on an absolute level is that Macau is much much smaller than Hong Kong and Singapore (less than 1/10 of the population of HK) and therefore unlikely to achieve the same level of prominence.

Also, Macau's economy is solely based on gambling which is why looking at its GDP per capita isn't useful
 
With a POD no earlier than 1900, how can we make Macau as successful as Hong Kong in OTL?

Well, Hong Kong's success has been one of the reasons why Macau hasn't done so well. Worse Hong Kong might mean better Macau.

Add these if you want a Macau that's able to harbor more population.

Macau having Lapa, Dom João and Montanha would certainly help them. There were few incidents between Portugal and China which could have very well escalated and led to larger Macau. I think there was even one rather severe conflict at some point between 1900-1930 but I can't remember details and I'm not completely sure.
 
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A major reason for Hong Kong's success is that it served as the entrepot for the entire region. A region does not need two entrepots. If Hong Kong is it, then Macau cannot develop the same way.

While gambling and tourism is an important part of Macau's prosperity, I think it is going too far to say "solely". It does have financial services and some light manfuacturing. The economy is imbalanced, but saying that gambling is "solely" based on it is going too far.

As has been stated, the two actually have equivalent GDP per capita. The major difference is that Macau has little more than half a million people while Hong Kong has over seven million.

I can't really see how Macau can change to become more successful. Its small size and other factors beyond its control is what would need to change.
 

RousseauX

Donor
Add these if you want a Macau that's able to harbor more population.
Don't those island have only a few thousand people each? I mean adding small island doesn't really help that much, HK has a bunch of small islands near it too and most of them are lightly inhabited despite the population density on HK island itself.
 

RousseauX

Donor
Well, Hong Kong's success has been one of the reasons why Macau hasn't done so well. Worse Hong Kong might mean better Macau.
A major reason for Hong Kong's success is that it served as the entrepot for the entire region. A region does not need two entrepots. If Hong Kong is it, then Macau cannot develop the same way.
This statement is only true to a certain extend, Hong Kong is a pretty small place with relative low population which got rich through labour intensive exports of the same sort which is employed on the mainland today (it only transformed itself into serviced based economy afterwards), there is no reason why this prosperity hurts Macau because its exports are not going to be big enough to seriously lower market demand for said exports.
 
Don't those island have only a few thousand people each? I mean adding small island doesn't really help that much, HK has a bunch of small islands near it too and most of them are lightly inhabited despite the population density on HK island itself.

They were indeed scarcely inhabitted. IDK their area at the time but I thought they were larger than Macau proper IIRC. These islands no longer exist as islands due to land reclamation.
 
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