The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended a webinar entitled "How Hong Kong continues to be a gateway to China" today (September 22) to reaffirm to European entrepreneurs that Hong Kong continues to be the unique business bridge between the Mainland and the rest of the world.
In his opening remarks, Mr Chan said that Hong Kong's wide-ranging institutional advantages and fundamentals, including the rule of law and judicial independence, free flows of information and capital and a low and simple tax system, have continued to underpin the city as an international financial, trading and commercial centre. Riding on its formidable strengths, Hong Kong has been exploring initiatives to open up more markets and business opportunities for local and international businesses. The two national development strategies – the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development – offer far-reaching opportunities that would reward Hong Kong businesses and all the companies from Belgium and elsewhere in Europe that work with Hong Kong.
Addressing concerns about the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (National Security Law), Mr Chan reassured that the purpose of the National Security Law is to ensure a safe and stable environment for Hong Kong, which is essential for the continued prosperity of the city. He reiterated that the National Security Law targets only an extremely small minority of criminals who endanger national security. The National Security Law will not change the high degree of autonomy, the judicial independence and the rule of law that have long distinguished Hong Kong. The legitimate rights and interests of people and businesses in Hong Kong will not be affected.
The webinar was co-organised by the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Belgium-Hong Kong Society. About 50 participants joined the webinar. The question-and-answer session of the webinar provided an effective platform for Mr Chan to speak on Hong Kong's experience in tackling the global economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the various supportive measures and forward-looking initiatives launched by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to help businesses tide over difficulties and to assist enterprises to better grasp the business opportunities under the new economic landscape and the new normal of coexistence with the virus.
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