MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS concludes visit to Australia
In a recent journey aimed at fortifying ties between Hong Kong and Australia, Financial Secretary Paul Chan concluded his visit with a series of engaging activities designed to spotlight Hong Kong’s business landscape and collaborative opportunities. His tour involved comprehensive discussions with Australian business leaders, enriching forums, and insightful dialogues focused on bolstering bilateral relations through trade, investment, and sustainable innovation.
Starting the day, Chan took part in a roundtable breakfast hosted by HSBC. This meeting was a platform for him to outline Hong Kong’s current economic climate, future developmental strategies, and potential areas for collaborative growth with Australia. The attendees, hailing from diverse sectors such as trade, financial services, green finance, fintech, and professional services, engaged in fruitful discussions about enhancing bilateral trade and investments. Particular emphasis was placed on green and sustainable financial initiatives, a mutual interest for both Hong Kong and Australia.
Continuing the day’s agenda, Chan was the key speaker at a business luncheon orchestrated by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Sydney. Addressing over 150 leading figures from the Australian industrial, commercial, and financial sectors, he expounded on Hong Kong’s innovative strides in technology and the plethora of opportunities these developments herald for international collaborations. His speech detailed four pivotal strengths of Hong Kong’s financial segment: its robust financing market, pioneering efforts in green and sustainable finance, status as a leading offshore renminbi hub, and its acclaim as an asset management powerhouse.
Highlighting the initiatives taken by Hong Kong to allure businesses and talents to its shores, Chan encouraged Australian enterprises to consider Hong Kong as their base for exploring broader markets. Insights shared by Australian banking, accountancy, consultancy, and asset management professionals at the luncheon further underscored Hong Kong’s financial market virtues, and its preeminence as an asset and wealth management nexus. Through their testimonials, the attendees were provided with real-world instances of operational successes within Hong Kong and guidance on how Australian companies could leverage these advantages for market expansion.
The day’s engagements culminated in a roundtable discussion with senior executives from over ten leading financial institutions. This exchange was a deep dive into the prospects of augmenting business activities in asset management, family offices, fintech, green finance, and green technology sectors in Hong Kong. Such discussions are vital in paving the way for future partnerships and fostering an ecosystem conducive to financial and technological innovation.
In reflection, Chan described his visit as a pivotal step in enhancing mutual comprehension and collaboration between Hong Kong and Australia. He elaborated on the communiqué which underscored Hong Kong’s promising future trajectory and the synergies within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that could serve as catalysts for shared prosperity. He noted the keen interest from Australian sectors in life and health technology, green energy, fintech, asset and wealth management, agricultural products, and wineries, in leveraging Hong Kong as a springboard into the Mainland and wider Asian markets.
With the concluded visit, the pathway for increased Hong Kong-Australia cooperation looks ever more promising, heralding a future of shared growth and sustainable development. As Chan departed for Hong Kong, the seeds for further collaboration, mutual benefit, and understanding between Hong Kong and Australia were duly sown, marking the culmination of a successful enterprise.
