Tokyo | Australian entrepreneurs and executives stung by Beijing’s onerous COVID-19 restrictions and security crackdowns are gradually returning to Hong Kong, which is rebuilding its status as a stepping stone into China, says the head of an Australian business group.

Josephine Orgill, who became the new chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong late last year, would not comment on a proposed security law unveiled by the Hong Kong government last week, but said the city’s rule of law and access to China meant it was still attractive for many Australian businesses.