HONG KONG CONNECT


	Hong Kong maintains fourth place in Global Financial Centres Index Hong Kong maintained fourth place globally in the Global Financial Centres Index 33 Report published on 23 March by the Z/Yen from the United Kingdom and the China Development Institute from Shenzhen. Hong Kong’s rankings in the four areas of business environment, infrastructure, financial sector development, and reputational and general rose by two places as compared with the previous issue, fully reflecting Hong Kong’s strengths and advantages as a leading global financial centre. As compared to the assessment by financial industry practitioners from other major financial centres on the prospects of the cities in which they were based, practitioners based in Hong Kong were the most confident about the future competitiveness of Hong Kong as an international financial centre. Hong Kong will continue to consolidate its status as an international financial centre and give full play to connecting markets and investors of the Mainland and overseas, serving the country’s needs with its strengths. More details here.

	Government issues Policy Statement on Developing Family Office Businesses in Hong Kong The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government issued the Policy Statement on Developing Family Office Businesses in Hong Kong on 24 March which sets out the Government’s policy stance and measures on developing a vibrant ecosystem for global family offices and asset owners. The policy measures include a new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES), offering tax concessions, market facilitation measures, the setup of a new Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy, art storage facilities at the airport, developing Hong Kong into a philanthropic centre, expanding the role of the dedicated FamilyOfficeHK team in Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and launching a new Network of Family Office Service Providers. More details here.

	Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit demonstrates city status as world-leading family office hub The Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and InvestHK was successfully concluded on 24 March, attracting over 100 key decision makers from global family offices and their professional teams around the world, which further showcases Hong Kong’s appeal as a world-leading international asset and wealth management hub and its long-term future. The “Wealth for Good” theme captured two critical priorities faced by family offices today: wealth preservation and sustaining long-term growth, coupled with the need to positively impact society and communities. The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has a common law regime and a regulatory system that aligns perfectly with global standard. At the same time, Hong Kong in recent years has seen solid development in terms of green and sustainable finances, innovation development, art and culture industries as well as philanthropy, making the city an ideal base for global family offices. See the Chief Executive’s first day visit programme here.

	Chief Executive visits Beijing The Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr John Lee, attended the closing meeting of the first session of the 14^th National People’s Congress on 13 March and called on various central ministries and institutions in Beijing from 14 to 18 March. He also exchanged views with members of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in China and Hong Kong young people in Beijing. Mr Lee concluded that the trip opens a new chapter for effective communication and co-operation between the HKSAR Government and central ministries and institutions, and paves the way for better and stronger collaboration. Noting that it was the first time that he led eight Directors of Bureaux on official visit, Mr Lee believed the trip represented the HKSAR Government’s respect and gratitude to the central ministries and institutions, his dedication towards enhancing communication and building mutual trust between the HKSAR Government and the central ministries and institutions, as well as the HKSAR Government’s proactive and positive approach in integrating into national development. The support and attention given by the central ministries and institutions to Hong Kong is a strong impetus for Hong Kong’s development. See the Chief Executive’s first day visit programme here. Second day visit programme here. Third day visit programme here. Fourth day visit programme here. Fifth day visit programme here. Last day visit programme here.

	Long-haul service resumption of Hong Kong section of Express Rail Link in phases Long-haul services of the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) has gradually resumed starting from 11 March. Starting from 1 April, the long-haul services of the XRL Hong Kong Section will fully resume, connecting Hong Kong and long-haul destinations outside Guangdong Province. In addition, the HKSAR Government and the MTR Corporation Limited, after co-ordinating with relevant units, will fine-tune and optimise the services of the current short-haul destinations to better cater for the needs of passengers. More details here.

	Updates on Hong Kong’s anti-epidemic measures Starting from 22 March, members of the public who need to undergo self-paid nucleic acid testing can receive such service at five community testing centres and community testing stations (CTC/CTSs), the rapid nucleic acid testing centre at Hong Kong International Airport or local testing institutions. The remaining 16 CTC/CTSs have ceased operation. Apart from the five testing points in Central, Causeway Bay, Yaumatei, Shatin and Yuen Long, a rapid nucleic acid testing centre operating 24 hours a day is set up at Hong Kong International Airport to enable travellers to undergo self-paid tests prior to departure and obtain results within two hours. Citizens may also make their own arrangements for nucleic acid tests provided by local testing institutions. Read more at the Fight Against COVID-19 website.



	Reception held in Adelaide to celebrate Year of the Rabbit HKETO hosted a reception in Adelaide on 1 March to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, welcoming about 100 guests from various sectors. Addressing the guests, the Director of HKETO Sydney, Miss Trista Lim, highlighted the strong bilateral trade and investment ties between Hong Kong and Australia. She introduced the Hello Hong Kong Campaign, including the 500 000 free air tickets and the Hong Kong Goodies consumption vouchers to welcome visitors to Hong Kong. Miss Lim also said that Hong Kong will continue to enhance its status as a world-renowned event capital by earmarking HK$300 million for staging more mega events and international conventions and exhibitions, as well as spending over HK$250 million to sustain its efforts in organising and promoting major tourism events.

	Reception held in Perth to celebrate Year of the Rabbit HKETO hosted a reception in Perth on 2 March to celebrate the Year of Rabbit. The Director of HKETO Sydney, Miss Trista Lim, introduced to the guests the Hello Hong Kong campaign, including the 500 000 free air tickets and Hong Kong Goodies to one million visitors to immerse themselves in the shopping and dining paradise. She highlighted a series of arts, sports and trade events that will be held in the coming months and encouraged the guests to visit Hong Kong. Miss Lim also shared the various initiatives of the Government to attract talents, including the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) to entice high-income talents and graduates from the world’s top 100 universities, and a new CIES to further enrich the talent pool.

	Reception held in Auckland to celebrate Year of the Rabbit HKETO hosted a reception in Auckland on 7 March to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, welcoming over 100 guests from various sectors. Addressing the reception in a virtual speech, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, highlighted the collaboration between Hong Kong and New Zealand on innovation and technology (I&T). He said that the 14^th Five-Year Plan has indicated the clear backing of Hong Kong to develop into an international I&T centre and Hong Kong is pushing ahead with the development of many I&T infrastructure projects, notably the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop area, to reinforce Hong Kong’s leading position as the best gateway to the Mainland, in particular the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) market for international I&T enterprises. The Director of HKETO Sydney, Miss Trista Lim, said that the Hello Hong Kong campaign heralds Hong Kong’s return to the world stage and Hong Kong is pressing ahead with high-quality economic development through an array of proactive initiatives to attract enterprises and talents. The reception in Auckland marked the conclusion of Chinese New Year celebration events hosted by HKETO in different cities across Australia and New Zealand. More details here.

	Acting Director of HKETO Sydney attended the “Hong Kong: Digital Transformation and Opportunities” event The Acting Director of HKETO Sydney, Mr Henry Mak, attended the “Hong Kong: Digital Transformation and Opportunities” event in Sydney jointly organised by the Australia China Business Council, Alibaba Cloud and InvestHK on 21 March. Mr Mak said in his closing remarks that Hong Kong is stepping into the golden era of I&T development, highlighting the Central Government’s clear backing of Hong Kong to develop into an international I&T centre under the 14^th Five-Year Plan. The HKSAR Government is pushing ahead the development of many I&T infrastructure projects, notably the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, to reinforce Hong Kong’s leading position as the best gateway to the GBA. Mr Mak also introduced various initiatives of the HKSAR Government to attract enterprises and talents, and encouraged the participants to visit Hong Kong for a first-hand experience of all the developments in the flourishing I&T ecosystem in the city. The Head of Innovation and Technology - Information & Communications Technology of InvestHK, Ms Wendy Chow, shared with the participants the latest development of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and digital transformation in Hong Kong. She also joined other speakers for a panel discussion on why Hong Kong is a leading destination for ICT investment.

	Director of HKETO Sydney attended the Bi-monthly Business Networking and New Members’ Orientation Event organised by the New South Wales (NSW) Chapter of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association (HKABA) The Director of HKETO Sydney, Miss Trista Lim, attended the Bi-monthly Business Networking and New Members’ Orientation Event organised by the NSW Chapter of the HKABA on 28 March. Miss Lim said that Hong Kong is back to the centre stage with its seamless connections with Mainland China and the world resumed. She introduced the Hello Hong Kong campaign, including the 500 000 free air tickets and Hong Kong Goodies visitor consumption vouchers, and highlighted a series of events to be held in the coming months to encourage the participants to visit Hong Kong. Miss Lim also shared the initiatives of the Government to attract talents and investment, including the TTPS to entice high-income talents and graduates from the world’s top 100 universities and a new CIES to further enrich the talent pool.



	*Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2023 (Hong Kong)* Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival will kick off in April to showcase Hong Kong’s distinctive cultural characteristics, diverse and inclusive creativity and charisma, as well as the preservation of its pop culture. The Festival will bring audiences an array of programme experience and take audiences to revisit from different facets the masterpieces of the superstars in the 1980s and 1990s, the golden age of Hong Kong’s pop culture. More details here.

	*Inno Ex (Hong Kong and online)* To be held from 12 to 15 April (Click2Match until 22 April), InnoEX is the premier business platform for next-generation smart solutions, cutting-edge technologies and disruptive innovations, as well as the go-to place for regional and cross-sector collaborations with a special focus on Asia. It brings together influential tech experts, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and investors from the region to discuss collaborations, share upcoming trends and exchange insights into future opportunities. More details here.

	*Digital Economy Summit (Hong Kong and online)* To be held from 13 to 14 April, the Digital Economy Summit will unveil global and regional visions on how smart city technologies will supercharge smart economies as well as accelerate the formation of futureproof digital societies. More details here.

	*Asia Summit on Global Health (Hong Kong and online)* Themed “Reimagining the Future of Healthcare”, the Asia Summit on Global Health will be staged from 17 to 18 May, bringing together all the stakeholder – from healthcare experts to renowned academia and influential business leaders, together with key industry players, innovative start-ups, investors and policymakers from around the world to exchange insights, explore opportunities and collaborate on the diverse and dynamic healthcare sector. More details here.

Updates on Latest Situation in Hong Kong