It’s also crucial because it complements, on the one hand, the fiscal stimuli launched by national governments, and on the other, the rapid and powerful intervention by the ECB since the start of this crisis. With all these measures now in 2/4  BIS central bankers' speeches  play, Europe is better equipped to respond to this unprecedented crisis. The agreement includes a generic reference to a future recovery fund that is yet to be defined. What criteria do you think it should meet? The ECB has always stressed the need for our Economic and Monetary Union to be completed in order for the euro area to become more resilient. On the one hand, we need a European deposit insurance scheme so that savings have the same protections in every country. We’ve also called for progress in capital markets so that euro area firms have access to more sources of funding. And in the fiscal sphere, we need a shared budgetary instrument that completes the monetary union. The fund that has been proposed could go in that direction, but its size and how it is funded remain open to discussion and will depend on future decisions by governments. In any case, the determination to present a shared response is very significant, because it is a strong political signal, and also a strong signal to the markets. Spain started the debate when it too voiced its opposition to the use of the ESM.
Our challenge, therefore, is to evolve successfully in the face of this shift and it is a philosophy that the HKMA has been actively pursuing in the past few years – exploring new policy headroom, improving our financial infrastructure, promoting Hong Kong’s offshore renminbi business in overseas markets in collaboration with the financial industry, and co-operating with other places, such as London, Paris, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand in developing renminbi business. A competition of soft power among international financial centres 11. As I have emphasised on many occasions, the competition among international financial centres is essentially a battle of soft power. That is not to say hard power is not important. Quite the opposite, the building of hard infrastructure such as airports, transportation system, telecommunications, and efficient offices, is a prerequisite for entering the race. Yet it can only go so far. Funds, especially at the wholesale level, tend to flow to and aggregate in the more efficient and safe financial centres. Therefore, the race ultimately depends on soft power, which is made up of a wide range of qualities and strengths that are difficult to quantify. They include, the most important of all, the rule of law, protection of property rights and intellectual property, the taxation regime, the soundness of financial institutions, the robustness of supervisory frameworks, the competency and integrity of professionals, such as financial practitioners, accountants and lawyers, the free flow of information, the free and convenient movement of people, and a favourable business environment.