From his office in the glass-covered Citic Tower, the company’s chairman Larry Yung can enjoy two somewhat contradictory views of modern Hong Kong.

On one side is the territory’s splendid harbour, criss-crossed by ships that act as constant reminders of its citizens’ hunger for commerce. On the opposite side, the drab headquarters of the Chinese army, whose lifeless exterior belies the activities of the men charged with policing the capitalist enclave.