Global hubs are very rarely interchangeable

Whether in the kind of capital, companies or talent they attract, each hub city has its own DNA, its own attitude and its own draw.

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In contrasting Singapore with Dubai, where does one even begin? One can start with the makeup of the two societies, and their very different relationships with overseas talent and capital.

The Middle Eastern hub of four million people is made up of only an estimated 10 per cent citizens of the United Arab Emirates. Singapore, by contrast, is not merely a city but a nation state, with about two-thirds of its population made up of citizens and permanent residents.

One assumes the officialdom of both places would have little reason to be coy about saying outright that they take quite different views on immigration and capital inflows.

Dubai today is among the most liberal of global cities in welcoming high-skilled foreign talent — engineers, artists, chefs, medical workers, educators and entrepreneurs, not just the stereotypical crypto set drawn by its permissive ways.