Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO), Ms Emily Mo, on March 17 joined the "Adding Value to Your Asia Business Development Plan in the New Normal” webinar hosted by Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (HKCBA) (Calgary Section), Hong Kong Trade Development Council in Canada and HKETO. The webinar aimed to update participants on the latest opportunities in Asia in the new normal and Hong Kong as an ideal platform for Canadian companies to leverage on.
In her welcome remarks at the event, Ms Emily Mo is pleased to share with participants on a recent Staff Report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which reaffirmed Hong Kong as a major global financial centre with a resilient financial system, sound macroprudential policies, and robust regulatory and supervisory framework.
"The IMF recognises that Hong Kong's financial sector has continued expanding robustly, even during the pandemic. It also commends that Hong Kong has made significant progress in addressing climate change in the past decade and recognises the Government's ongoing efforts to enhance the green and sustainable finance ecosystem," Ms Mo continued.
Ms Mo highlighted similar recognitions from other global rankings and organisations, including the Fraser Institute, the Global Financial Centres Index and the World Investment Report. In particular, she pointed out a research report named “Hong Kong-Canada Economic Ties” published by the China Institute of University of Alberta and the Canada-China Business Council in January this year.
The research report stated that Hong Kong has proved resilient, and that economic and business opportunities between Canada and Hong Kong remain abundant and profitable. It was positive about Hong Kong’s impact on Canada’s economic development in future, and that the future collaboration between the two places may lie increasingly in financial services, transportation, education, food and beverages, and arts and culture.
Before closing, Ms Mo reiterated the unparalleled advantages of Hong Kong and encouraged Canadian companies to make use of the Hong Kong platform to access the Indo-Pacific markets.
In addition, Ms Mo joined the annual “iPitch case competition” organised by Junior HKCBA on March 20 for university students to compete in teams on business related topics. Ms Mo took the opportunity to give participants an overview of Hong Kong’s latest developments, especially the city's top global rankings in economy and in university rankings. She noted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is keen on attracting talents outside the city to work in Hong Kong and highlighted the various admission schemes to the participants.
Apart from career development, Ms Mo also said that Hong Kong is a top choice for those who plan to pursue further studies because Hong Kong has world renowned universities and various scholarship schemes available for non-local students. Ms Mo encouraged the young people of Canada to apply for the Working Holiday Scheme to acquire living and working experience in Hong Kong, and choose Hong Kong as a destination to develop their careers or further their studies.
香港經貿處處長參與港加商會商貿活動介紹香港的最新發展
香港駐多倫多經濟貿易辦事處（香港經貿處）處長巫菀菁於三月十七日參與由港加商會（卡加里分會）、香港貿易發展局加拿大辦事處及香港經貿處合辦的「在新常態下為你的亞洲業務發展計劃增值」網上研討會。該研討會旨在向與會者介紹亞洲在新常態下的新機遇及香港作為加拿大企業的理想平台。
巫菀菁在研討會致歡迎辭時，向與會者分享國際貨幣基金組織（基金組織）最新發表的評估報告，再次肯定香港作為主要國際金融中心的地位，具備穩健強韌的金融體系、有效的宏觀經濟及審慎政策，以及健全的規管及監管框架。
巫菀菁續說：「基金組織認同香港金融業在疫情期間，依然持續擴張和發展。基金組織亦讚揚香港過去十年在應對氣候變化方面取得重大進展，並認同香港政府努力不懈加強綠色和可持續金融生態圈。」
巫菀菁強調其他全球排名及組織亦對香港的認可，包括菲沙研究所、全球金融中心指數及世界投資報告。巫菀菁特別提到阿爾伯達大學中國研究所及加中貿易理事會於今年一月發表的「港加經濟關係」研究報告。
該研究報告指出，香港有足夠抵禦衝擊的能力，加港兩地的經貿和商機持續穩健並利好發展。報告亦樂觀指出香港對加拿大未來的經濟發展有積極影響，加港未來可以在金融服務、運輸、教育、食品以及藝術文化方面有更多合作。
最後，巫菀菁重申香港無可比擬的營商優勢，並鼓勵加拿大公司善用香港平台進軍印度太平洋市場。
此外，巫菀菁於三月二十日參與由青年港加商會舉辦的年度「iPitch個案比賽」，參賽的大學生會組隊就商貿有關的題目進行個案研究。巫菀菁藉此機會向與會者簡介香港的最新發展，特別是香港的全球經濟及大學排名均名列前茅。巫菀菁指出香港特別行政區政府正積極招攬海外專才到香港工作，她同時向參與者介紹各項入境計劃。
巫菀菁表示，除了就業發展，香港也是畢業生計劃繼續深造的首選，因為香港擁有世界知名的學府並為非本地學生提供不同獎學金計劃。巫菀菁鼓勵加拿大青年朋友申請「工作假期計劃」，到香港體驗生活和獲取工作經驗，並選擇以香港作為發展事業或升學的目的地。
