FS to visit Europe

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Paris, France, tomorrow night (September 16) to begin his visit to Europe covering four cities, namely Paris, London, Berlin and Frankfurt.
   
     During his stay in Paris from September 17 to 19, Mr Chan will attend the Think Business Think Hong Kong (TBTHK), a mega promotion campaign organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and speak at its Symposium and exchange dinner. A Hong Kong delegation comprising more than 130 representatives from chambers of commerce, public organisations, investors, start-up entrepreneurs, professional service providers and more will be joining the TBTHK, marking the largest Hong Kong delegation to Europe since the pandemic.
 
     From September 20 to 23, Mr Chan will visit London, where he will attend the Hong Kong Dinner organised by the HKTDC, as well as a luncheon hosted by the Hong Kong Association. From September 24 to 26, Mr Chan will visit Berlin and Frankfurt, where he will meet and have lunch with local financial and business communities.
 
     While in Europe, Mr Chan will meet with their respective political, business and financial communities to introduce to them the new advantages of Hong Kong and the new business opportunities that Hong Kong provides, with a view to strengthening bilateral economic ties and mutual co-operation. He will have roundtable discussions or meetings with chambers of commerce, visit strategic enterprises engaging in healthcare, fintech, artificial intelligence, etc. as well as arts and creative industry institutions.

     Mr Chan said, "Over the past few years, our connections with Europe had been disrupted due to the pandemic, and there have been misconceptions and misunderstanding about Hong Kong. We will make good use of the opportunity of this trip to brief the political and business communities in Europe about the latest situation and developments of Hong Kong, including the advantages of Hong Kong in the successful implementation of and long-term adherence to the 'one country, two systems' principle, as well as the unique role and status of Hong Kong's connectivity to the Mainland, Asia and Europe. As an international financial centre and international innovation and technology hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Hong Kong is the most preferred gateway and a high-quality service platform for European companies to explore the immense business opportunities in the GBA and the Mainland."  
   
     Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong from Frankfurt on the afternoon of September 27. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will be the Acting Financial Secretary.