Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Promoting Hong Kong’s New Advantages and Opportunities

On April 23, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan, stated in his blog that the economy has accelerated recovery after the COVID-19 epidemic, and Hong Kong is in a golden window for development.

In addition, in the blog, Chen Maobo also emphasized that the trip to Beijing made him feel deeply, pointing out that different units in the mainland are closely following Hong Kong information, and hope to strengthen cooperation between the two places, while promoting the development of Hong Kong, they can better contribute to the development of the country.

The following is an article published by Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan on his blog on April 23:

In the past week, I took the heads of relevant policy bureaus and major financial regulatory agencies to Beijing for a four-day visit, calling on more than a dozen ministries and agencies, and also went to Peking University to give speeches and communicate with teachers, students and alumni. This is the first time we have visited Beijing together since the resumption of comprehensive and convenient customs clearance. It is a pleasure to have face-to-face exchanges and discussions with relevant mainland officials again, exchanging views on issues of concern to everyone, and sharing views on future development.

The tight itinerary of a few days gave me a deep feeling: even though the epidemic hindered exchanges, different units in the mainland are closely following the information of Hong Kong and are very concerned about the situation in Hong Kong. They hope to give us more support and improve the level of cooperation with us. I hope to optimize the existing cooperation mechanism and explore new measures in the field of responsibility, so as to make better use of Hong Kong’s unique advantages and functions, promote the development of Hong Kong, and better contribute to the development of the country.

The meetings over the past few days have given us a better understanding of the economic and financial conditions in the Mainland, as well as the latest developments and ideas of relevant policies, and provided important information and reference for us and the financial regulators in promoting future work and strengthening cooperation between the two places.

During the meeting with different ministries and agencies, I introduced the current situation and development of Hong Kong’s economy and finance, as well as the phased results and future work priorities in the development of innovation and technology, including promoting the all-round continuous innovation and deepening of the development of the international financial center. Determined to use innovation and technology to drive the development of new industrialization, set the goal of doubling the proportion of Hong Kong’s total expenditure on innovation and technology research and development as a percentage of GDP within ten years, and the goal of manufacturing industry accounting for 5% of GDP. We also discussed the current situation and future prospects of the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Hong Kong’s three major work directions for promoting high-quality development in the new era and new stage, including digital economy, Internet 3.0, and international green technology and green technology. Financial Center. I also introduced that under the new governance concept of an effective government and an efficient market, Hong Kong is using policies such as robbing talents and robbing enterprises to empower economic development.

Indeed, the three-year epidemic has seriously affected the direct contact and interaction between people, which to a certain extent hindered our first-hand information and personal experience in different markets. This is why since customs clearance, we have actively promoted Hong Kong’s new advantages and new opportunities in the new stage of development through “going out” and “inviting guests to come”.

After the resumption of customs clearance, delegations from different provinces and cities in the Mainland also visited Hong Kong one after another to strengthen exchanges and attract investment. We are also actively visiting the mainland and overseas markets, hoping to seize the momentum and opportunity of economic recovery after the epidemic, attract investment at full speed, promote the establishment of enterprises and recruit talents, so as to strengthen the impetus for accelerating economic recovery and benefit citizens and enterprises.

Hong Kong currently enjoys the advantages of good weather, favorable location, and harmonious people, and is now in a golden window for development. After the epidemic, economic activities in different sectors are recovering at an accelerated pace, and the overall atmosphere is positive; global shipping capacity is gradually recovering, and Hong Kong’s advantages as a regional hub have reappeared, attracting many investment promotion, conferences, exhibitions, and sales events. Since the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law” and the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, social security and stability have been restored in Hong Kong, and the efficiency of policy implementation has also improved. Coupled with the steady development of the country and the solid support of the central government, many friends at home and abroad are also optimistic about the prospects of Hong Kong.

During these visits, I have deliberately visited local universities to communicate with students, comprehensively promote the advantages and attractions of Hong Kong, deepen students’ understanding of living and working in Hong Kong, and encourage them to come to Hong Kong to seek opportunities for career development. opportunity. Whether it is the National University of Singapore and the University of Malaya that I visited earlier, or Peking University, they are all world-renowned universities. After graduation, their undergraduates basically meet the qualifications of the high-end talent pass program. Come to work in Hong Kong.

The speech meeting at Peking University received an enthusiastic response, and the seats were full, and the students didn’t even miss their seats. More than 400 people filled the entire lecture hall. The atmosphere of the exchange session was relaxed and enthusiastic. Everyone was concerned about the opportunities in Hong Kong and wanted to know more about the details of working in Hong Kong. I also talk about life from work, including Hong Kong’s beautiful countryside scenery, rich and diverse art and cultural activities, more than 200 restaurants recommended by Michelin, countless special authentic snacks, social security, etc. These are the colorful places in Hong Kong. elements of urban life. From the interaction in the question-and-answer session, I deeply felt the students’ love for Hong Kong, as well as their strong interest and longing for developing their careers in Hong Kong.

In order to promote the vigorous development of Hong Kong’s economy and enhance its momentum, we are strengthening publicity and promotion through different channels. For tourists, we have Hello Hong Kong activities and different promotional campaigns; for local citizens, the “Happy Hong Kong” campaign series is about to start, and we just issued consumer coupons last week, hoping to strengthen the momentum of economic recovery and contribute to The society brings more positive and optimistic atmosphere.

Hong Kong’s economy is gradually improving. Let us seize the opportunity to promote high-quality economic development at full speed, create a new atmosphere for the society, and jointly build a more prosperous, more beautiful, more inclusive and inclusive society.