Rule of law and English language are key assets for Hong Kong to win British business in wake of Brexit, says trade chief
Britain’s vote to leave EU means more small and medium-sized enterprises will look to Asia, says Margaret Fong
Hong Kong businesses and officials need to seize the opportunities created by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, according to Trade Development Council executive director Margaret Fong Shun-man.
Speaking on the sidelines of a trade symposium organised by the TDC in London last week, Fong said she believed both Britain and the EU will continue to grow in importance as trade partners to Hong Kong and that following last year’s Brexit vote, more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would turn to Asia.
Top officials including Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and British Minister of State for Trade and Investment Greg Hands joined the trade symposium on Thursday.
The EU was one of Hong Kong’s largest trading partners last year, with total trade worth about HK$648.7 billion or 7.9 per cent of the city’s global total.
In terms of individual economies, Germany and Britain were Hong Kong’s 11th and 12th largest trading partners.
