Singapore claims title of cleanest air in Asia

According to a survey that is, but if you had lived through the haze of the last two weeks you may be forgiven or thinking otherwise.

Beijing came in last, with the poorest air quality in Asia.

Asian business leaders in Hong Kong and China have hailed Singapore as a haven of clean air with the city-state beating close competitors like Hong Kong and Shanghai in a business survey undertaken amongst 470 respondents in Hong Kong and China. This indeed speaks well for Singapore's ambitious plan to garner top international business talent and maintain a 'liveable city' reputation for its population as well as for those who come to the country to contribute and earn a living. The release delves further into this:

A research survey from Regus of over 220 business leaders in Hong Kong and 250 in China, found that an overwhelming three out of four companies or 75% believe that the air quality in a city affects company’s ability to attract and retain international talent.

When asked to rank a number of Asian cities in order of the air quality, respondents ranked Singapore as the top, way above Hong Kong, Bangkok and other cities in Asia.

Hong Kong was closely followed by Bangkok, with Shanghai and Beijing judged to have the poorest air quality. The same survey was also undertaken in China where 250 respondents hailed Singapore as tops in air quality. The results are as follows:

　
City                  Hong Kong  Average ranking        China Average ranking
1. Singapore                      1.66                                      1.54

2.  Hong Kong                   3.16                                      2.76

3.  Bangkok                       3.30                                      2.93

4.  Shanghai                      3.60                                      3.35

 
5.  Beijing                          4.14                                      4.15

William Wiillems, Regional Vice President for Regus, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, said, "Singapore residents and business leaders alike can breathe easy knowing that the government initiatives to promote Singapore as one of the world’s Greenest Cities is paying off.

These results shows that Hong Kong and China’s business decision makers rank Singapore far above the competition it comes to air quality. We are experiencing increasing demand for our five centres across the nation, and I can foresee further growth in the short term as Singapore asserts itself as the cleanest and best place for international businesses in Asia."