Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto)

The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO), Mr Bill Wong, visited Vancouver from May 10 to 14 for business promotion.

Speaking at the business seminar titled “Capital Without Borders: Unlocking Trans-Pacific Opportunities”, organised by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (HKCBA) (Vancouver Chapter) on May 13, Mr Wong updated attendees that under the “one country, two systems” principle, notwithstanding the geopolitical tensions, Hong Kong continues to offer stability, legal certainty, and strong financial infrastructure, reinforcing its position as one of the world’s top three international financial centres with one of the top three stock markets in Asia and is on the way to become a premier gold and commodity trading hub.

In particular, he pointed out that Hong Kong offered many unique advantages for family offices to operate. He said that Hong Kong’s simple and competitive tax regime, absence of a specific licensing regime for family offices, as well as its robust wealth management ecosystem, had attracted over 3,300 single-family offices by the end of 2025 — an increase of more than 25 per cent in two years.

“Hong Kong also serves as the gateway to the Chinese Mainland market. Through strategic initiatives such as Stock Connect, Bond Connect and the Mutual Recognition of Funds arrangement, we provide direct and seamless access to Mainland capital markets,” he said. “Hong Kong is the premier offshore Renminbi hub, with about 75 per cent of global offshore RMB payments processed in Hong Kong.”

Describing Hong Kong as a “safe haven” for investors, Mr Wong encouraged attendees to consider allocating more assets to Hong Kong.

Earlier upon arrival in Vancouver, Mr Wong paid courtesy calls on the Member of Parliament, Mr Taleeb Noormohamed; the Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth of British Columbia, Mr Ravi Kahlon; and the Mayor of Prince George, Mr Simon Yu, to exchange views on issues of mutual interest. He also met with the management team of the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University to discuss talent attraction initiatives.

In addition, Mr Wong joined the Invest Vancouver: Tech Advantage Tours and attended the large-scale technology conference Web Summit to learn more about the region’s latest technology landscape. He also attended a panel discussion titled “Climate Global 2026: Connecting Canadian Climate Tech to the World”, at which the visiting Senior Vice President (Sustainability) for Innovation and Technology of Invest Hong Kong, Ms Olivia To, spoke on leveraging Hong Kong’s ecosystem to support global green technology growth across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the broader Asian market.

During the five-day trip, Mr Wong also visited the Chinese Canadian Museum, the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and the Vancouver Art Gallery to explore collaboration opportunities. He returned to Toronto on the afternoon of May 14.