SINGAPORE - The case for Singapore’s displacement of Hong Kong as the New York of the East is getting strong, especially in business, after years in which the very idea would be shot down, often with taunts about the Republic being a “fine” city and more.

While Singapore has upped its cool quotient in recent years, drawing art fairs, lauded chefs and some of the biggest acts to perform here, Hong Kong has had to increasingly deal with greater Chinese control and censorship.