Charm offensive to be launched by commerce bureau to promote Hong Kong overseas and hit back at ‘incorrect information’
- Fightback against ‘incorrect information’ about Hong Kong overseas as city looks to promote itself in emerging markets
- Commerce and economic development chief to hold talks with trade offices overseas to draw up promotion strategies
A fresh bid to take charge of Hong Kong’s image and hit back at “incorrect information” in overseas media is to be launched as the city looks to promote itself to emerging markets in central Asia, Muslim countries and Africa, the new commerce chief has revealed.
Algernon Yau Ying-wah on Wednesday said he would convene a meeting with the city’s overseas economic and trade offices next week to draw up their strategies for promoting Hong Kong for the rest of the year.
“The economic and trade offices in different places have been closely watching all the incorrect information released by local media and making direct responses,” said Yau, the secretary for commerce and economic development.
Yau said the 14 offices around the world had also written letters to a variety of parties to explain the situation in Hong Kong.
He said the economic and trade offices had sent more than 1,000 letters and emails in connection with controversy over the implementation of the national security law and the “patriots-only” electoral system overhaul, both led by Beijing in the wake of the city’s social unrest in 2019, in the past two years.
Yau added that 56 forums were organised over the same period for the previous chief executive and government officials to explain the situation in Hong Kong.