Hong Kong will defend its interests amid US-China trade war, minister vows
Commerce secretary Edward Yau says city will act to protect its business partners, though this does not mean it will serve US interests
Hong Kong’s trade minister has vowed that the city will continue to be a free and open place to do business, though he said this did not mean it would serve the interests of the US, which is inching closer to an all-out trade dispute with China.
As an independent member of the World Trade Organisation, Hong Kong would speak up to defend its interests, Edward Yau Tang-wah warned on Wednesday.
The commerce chief was responding to comments by the top US envoy to Hong Kong, who on Tuesday said he was seeking to ease worries that the city would be a “voiceless victim” of the escalating trade friction between China and the United States.
Instead, Consul General Kurt Tong said during a lunch at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, “the current situation presents a real opportunity for Hong Kong to demonstrate its lasting value as a transformative portal linking China and the rest of the world economy”.
Hong Kong will not be a ‘voiceless victim’ in US-China trade war, top US envoy to city says
Tong blamed China for adopting “market-distorting policies and practices” and stressed that the US valued free, fair and open trade.