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Exclusive | Paul Chan on reopening borders: Hong Kong wants to reconnect globally, but cannot rush as pandemic continues to evolve
- Restoring global travel is vital to city’s financial hub status, but authorities need to tread carefully, financial secretary says
- Hong Kong confirms three new imported Covid-19 cases on Sunday, all involving mutant strains
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This is the third in a series of articles based on a wide-ranging Post interview with Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po. Read part one here and part two here.
Hong Kong is keen to reopen its borders not just with mainland China but also the world, although the process cannot be rushed during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po.
The city’s pandemic-stricken economy has done so well through the first half of this year that Chan is looking at upgrading his forecast of 3.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent growth for the full year.
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The rebound has stirred talk that Hong Kong should move to reopen its borders to the world, and not only with mainland China as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor seems most focused on achieving.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Post on Wednesday, Chan acknowledged that reopening to countries was as important as doing so with the mainland, but said the process could not be rushed given the pandemic.
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While restoring global travel was crucial to the city’s position as an international financial centre and aviation hub, authorities must remain cautious, he warned.
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