Exclusive | Hong Kong to attract Middle East companies with aggressive promotion drive, city’s finance minister says
- Financial Secretary Paul Chan says global business and political leaders in Davos ‘excited’ about city’s reopening, but admits some ‘information gaps’ remain
- Chan is keen to entice companies in Gulf states, such as Saudi oil giant Aramco, to list on city’s stock exchange
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Paul Chan woos Middle East companies to visit Hong Kong in 2023 to explore listing opportunities
In an exclusive interview with the Post, the finance chief also revealed he was leading a task force comprising city officials, business leaders, as well as the Trade Development Council and Tourism Board, to develop strategies for promoting Hong Kong’s return after three years of stringent Covid-19 restrictions.
“We need to be a lot more aggressive and proactive in reaching out to the international community, to tell good stories of Hong Kong, and also extend invitations for people … to see for themselves the opportunities that await them,” said Chan, who is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Discussing the top-level event and his meetings with international business and political leaders, he added they were “excited” about the city’s coronavirus policy rollback but conceded “information gaps and perception issues” still existed.
Chan also said the government was ramping up efforts to promote itself to more companies in the Gulf states, making the remarks three months after he disclosed that the Hong Kong stock exchange had encouraged Saudi oil giant Aramco to list in the city.
The minister added that he hoped the companies would visit the city within the year, explaining that many fund management companies in Hong Kong and mainland China were already exploring investment opportunities in the region to diversify and “seek better returns” amid recent geopolitical tensions.