Official visits vital to Hong Kong’s push to change overseas perceptions and clear up confusion, finance chief Paul Chan says
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Official visits are vital to Hong Kong’s efforts to help people overseas better understand the city and clear up misunderstandings, the finance chief has said, pointing to a host of meetings he attended during his latest trip to Paris.
“Participants told us the importance of the government actively going out and engaging with friends from different sectors,” Chan said on his blog on Sunday.
“By addressing questions directly and engaging in deep exchanges, we not only provide them with comprehensive information on Hong Kong and the understanding of the city’s developments in this new stage, but also better clarify rumours and clear up misunderstandings.”
The bay area refers to Beijing’s ambitious plan to transform Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities into an integrated hi-tech, economic powerhouse by 2035.
The city’s officials have been making overseas visits to “tell the Hong Kong story well” and counter the negative narrative they said had been shaped by the double whammy of the 2019 social unrest, as well as the economic and social consequences of anti-pandemic curbs.