An anecdotal data point ...

We (rsync.net) established Hong Kong as our Asian POP in 2009 for a variety of high-minded, conscientious reasons. I wanted to cast the firms dollar-votes for open, democratic societies and further the establishment of Hong Kong as a business and network hub ... obviously a very small impact but that was the idea.

I am now seriously considering moving our operations out of Hong Kong and Singapore is an obvious candidate for the move. The trouble is, Singapore is not exactly a paragon of free and open society. Australia makes some sense in terms of Internet topology but I'm not sure it's a fit, either.

I'm upset about this because I love Hong Kong. I think it's the most interesting city in the world and I love being there.

The Lee's family is like another CCP, just that they can speak English, went to elite west university, and used economic prosperity as an excuse to push down on dissident or threaten to their power. Singapore is somewhat suppressed and not necessarily free. I agree that Singapore is still most favorable, but there are considerable factors to not move out there.