Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO), Ms Emily Mo, visited Calgary from September 7 to 10 to promote Hong Kong's core strengths and new edges for businesses and cultural developments.
Speaking at the annual National Conference of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (HKCBA) on September 8, Ms Mo first highlighted Hong Kong's resilience in the face of challenging times including the pandemic and economic headwinds elsewhere. "We have witnessed remarkable achievements, with a real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth exceeding 3% in the first quarter, a 13% surge in private consumption, and an impressively low unemployment rate at just 3%," she said. "Hong Kong’s status as a leading global financial center has been further strengthened. The asset record as of June totalled 3.4 trillion US dollars, that is 9.6 times our GDP."
Ms Mo moved on to emphasize that Hong Kong stands as a world-class fundraising platform, China’s international financial hub and the world’s premier Renminbi (RMB) hub. "Through various connect schemes facilitating RMB-denominated product offerings in Hong Kong, we continue to serve as a nexus between the capital markets and investors from Mainland China and around the world," she said.
Besides traditional businesses, Hong Kong is dedicated to advancing emerging sectors such as green finance, green and health technology, and virtual assets . Ms Mo said that Hong Kong, by collaborating with sister cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the Greater Bay Area) which hold strengths in technological commercialization and manufacturing, is nurturing a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and technology.
In closing, Ms Mo stressed that the enduring principle of “one country, two systems” and the unwavering support from the nation, Hong Kong remains the prime choice for Canadian businesses to tap into the Mainland China, Asian and Indo-pacific markets. She anticipated enhanced cooperation between our two places.
The HKCBA National Conference was HKETO’s major business event in Canada for the Hong Kong Week 2023 programme. Around 200 business elites, industry leaders and government representatives from across Canada and from Hong Kong joined the Calgary conference to share insights on the latest business opportunities in Asia for Canadian companies.
This year, the HKCBA signature event focussed on areas of opportunities including Energy Transition and Environment, and success stories of Canadian companies. These developments in Asia are further broadened and deepened by China’s 14th Five Year Plan, the Greater Bay Area Development and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.
In the evening of the same day, Ms Mo attended the cocktail reception of the HKCBA National Conference and delivered a speech. She encouraged attendees to visit Hong Kong and experience the vibrancy of the city post-pandemic, especially its emerging role as a prominent East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange.
Turning to Hong Kong's cultural faces, Ms Mo visited the Kelvin Yuen Photograph Exhibition held at cSPACE Hallway Galleries, Calgary on September 9. The exhibition, featuring Hong Kong young award-winning photographer Kelvin Yuen, showcased the beautiful landscapes of Canada and enhanced the cultural exchanges between Canada and Hong Kong. The event is another highlight of the Hong Kong Week 2023 programme.
In the evening, Ms Mo attended the original Cantonese musical performance of “Button of Love” co-presented by the HKETO and DramaOne Canada. Penned by noted Hong Kong Canadian director Peter Poon and brought to life by a remarkable ensemble of performers and crew members with Hong Kong-Canada ties, the musical drama exemplified the strong connection between Hong Kong and Canada.
Addressing the drama audience, Ms Mo said that Hong Kong has gracefully evolved into a global hub for cultural exchanges. One of the must-see spot is the West Kowloon Cultural District, which offers a world-class array of cultural performances, exhibitions, and immersive experiences throughout the year.
The HKETO is currently hosting the 2023 Hong Kong Week themed “Hello Hong Kong” until the end of September to feature Hong Kong’s new strengths, promising economic prospects and fresh cultural vision. Activities include art and photo exhibitions, film festivals, musical drama performances and a national business conference to be held in different Canadian cities. Details of the 2023 Hong Kong Week can be found on the dedicated webpage at https://hongkongweek2023.hketo.ca/.
Ms Mo returned to Toronto in the afternoon of September 10.
香港經貿處處長到訪卡加里推廣商貿及促進文化交流
香港駐多倫多經濟貿易辦事處（香港經貿處）處長巫菀菁於九月七至十日到訪卡加里，推廣香港在商貿及文化交流方面的優勢和最新發展。
巫菀菁九月八日在港加商會全國會議上致辭時表示，香港面對疫情及其他地區的經濟影響等挑戰更顯其抗逆能力。她說：「我們創下驕人成績，首季實質本地生產總值增長超過百分之三，私人消費開支飆升百分之十三，而失業率則只有百分之三，這些數據都進一步加強香港作為領先全球金融中心的地位。香港六月的資產記錄總值達3.4萬億美元，相等於本地生產總值的9.6倍。」
巫菀菁續指，香港是世界級的集資平台、中國的國際金融樞紐及全球首屈一指的人民幣中心。她說：「落實多個互聯互通計劃便利各種人民幣結算產品在港推出，我們會繼續把中國內地及世界各地的資金和投資者連繫起來。」
除了傳統企業外，香港同時致力發展綠色金融、環保及醫療科技，以及虛擬資產等新興行業。巫菀菁提到，粵港澳大灣區（大灣區）的姊妹城市擅於把科技概念商業化和生產，香港與其合作能為創新科技業營造蓬勃的生態系統。
最後，巫菀菁強調在堅實的「一國兩制」制度和國家的強大支持下，香港繼續是加拿大企業進軍中國內地、亞洲和印太市場的首選，她預料加港之間的合作將更趨緊密。
港加商會全國會議是香港經貿處「2023香港周」活動在加拿大的大型商務活動之一，吸引約200位加拿大及香港商界翹楚、業界領袖及政府代表共聚卡加里，就亞洲為加拿大企業提供的最新商機分享真知灼見。
今年的港加商會會議聚焦在能源變革及環境等方面的機遇，以及加拿大企業的成功個案分享。受惠於國家《十四五規劃綱要》、大灣區發展和《區域全面經濟伙伴關係協定》，這些發展得以在亞洲進一步擴展。
同日傍晚，巫菀菁出席港加商會全國會議的酒會，並在會上致辭。她邀請與會者親臨香港，體驗香港這個亞洲國際都會在疫後的活力，以及作為主要中外文化藝術交流中心的非凡魅力。
至於推廣香港文化方面，巫菀菁九月九日出席在卡加里cSPACE Hallway Galleries舉行的袁斯樂相片展。該展覽展出香港年輕攝影師袁斯樂的作品，該些作品展示加拿大的明媚風光。展覽加強加港兩地的文化交流，今次活動亦是「2023香港周」的焦點項目。
晚上，巫菀菁欣賞了香港經貿處及加拿大一劇場聯合呈獻的原創廣東話音樂劇《龍鳳扣》，該劇由知名加籍香港導演潘煒強編寫，並由多位擁有香港及加拿大背景的演員和幕後人員製作，彰顯加港兩地的緊密關係。
巫菀菁向音樂劇觀眾表示，香港已躍升為國際文化交流樞紐，她邀請他們到訪香港必到熱點西九文化區，欣賞年中無休的世界級文化表演、展覽和參與沉浸式體驗活動。
香港經貿處由現在起至九月底舉辦題為「你好﹗香港」的「2023香港周」活動，介紹香港的最新優勢、經濟強項和嶄新文化視野。各項豐富活動在加拿大不同城市舉行，當中包括藝術展覽及相展、電影節、音樂劇表演及國際商務會議。詳情請瀏覽「2023香港周」活動專屬網頁hongkongweek2023.hketo.ca。
巫菀菁於九月十日下午返回多倫多。
