"When they go low, we go high." So declared former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2016 Democratic Party convention in the storied American city of Philadelphia.

From here in Hong Kong, that memorable turn of phrase reminds me today less of the ugliness of past political campaigns, and more of the beauty of this city's striking skyline. In Asia, the march of ever-higher skyscrapers goes on, with developers in China in particular embracing that American dream to build high.

Indeed, those same words from the former first lady have relevance — in a different, economic context in both the United States and Asia — as a new administration in Washington focuses on rebuilding America.