“We may all be profoundly saddened by the recent conflicts occurring in various parts of the world. They serve as stark reminders of the need for empathy over prejudice, understanding over suspicion, respect over hostility, and engagement over separation.”

Friday’s seminar was also attended by Hong Kong business leaders such as Allan Zeman, the chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, Catherine Leung, council member of the Better Hong Kong Foundation and co-founder and partner at MizMaa Ventures, Ryan Lai, managing director of Foodpanda Hong Kong, and Ivy Au-Yeung, CEO of OCBC Hong Kong.

“Given the current geopolitical environment and the prevailing western narratives that surround us, it is crucial that we take proactive steps to engage and sustain our efforts,” Chan said. “Only by revitalising interaction and fostering more exchanges can we work to achieve better mutual understanding and clear any misconceptions or doubts that may exist.”

Referring to the Post’s “global reach”, he called on the newspaper to stay committed to its “fact-based, objective and unbiased reporting and commentary”.

“We need you as a window, a reliable source for the world to truly understand what Hong Kong and our region are like,” Chan added.

Throughout the past 120 years, the Post has “embraced changes while honouring traditions, and documented the incredible transformations that have left an incredible mark on Hong Kong, mainland China and the rest of the world”, said Catherine So, the Post’s CEO.

This year’s events are the first time that the Post has celebrated its anniversary since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.

Two panel discussions organised as part of Friday’s event looked at Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre and technology hub.

The city’s low tax rate and robust legal industry are aspects of Hong Kong that everyone is familiar with, said MizMaa Ventures’s Leung.

“If you contrast Hong Kong to where I’ve done business, which is New York, London, the Middle East including Israel, the thing that makes Hong Kong stand-out is sort of an immigrant DNA, where we are adaptable, because you don’t know what’s going to change the next day,” Leung said.

“If you look at Hong Kong over the past 50 years, there have been so many changes … we’ve transitioned from manufacturing to financial services, riding China’s rise. These are a lot of ups, but a lot of downs as well. Witnessing Covid-19 and what’s happening to our city today, I would say that it’s all that immigrant mentality and the fact that we’re never quite settled and safe, that keeps us going from one place to another.”

The city’s inclusiveness and the way it welcomes everyone from different cultures and ethnicities sets Hong Kong apart from other markets, said OCBC Hong Kong’s Au-Yeung.

“We’re just very dynamic. Whatever difficulties we have, we just figure out what’s next [and] what will work. That’s how I see Hong Kong,” she said.

Additional reporting by Xinmei Shen