Hong Kong forum on US-China ties aims to create ‘optimistic’ tone ahead of Apec summit

Hong Kong Forum on US-China Relations to feature remarks by ambassadors of both countries, ex-Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad and two Nobel laureates

‘The [forum’s] timing was deliberate, so that we could help craft a tone, hopefully an optimistic one … before Apec begins,’ says James Chau, president of co-organiser

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The conference will recognise shifts in the relationship between the US and China, while also embracing the momentum of new optimism to drive progress, the organisers have said. Photo: AP

Published: 8:18pm, 7 Nov 2023Updated: 9:29pm, 7 Nov 2023

Organisers of this week’s forum on US-China relations in Hong Kong hope to create an “optimistic” tone ahead of an Apec summit in San Francisco, where the leaders of the two nations are expected to meet.

The Hong Kong Forum on US-China Relations, which runs Thursday and Friday, will feature video remarks by ambassadors of both countries, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and two Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

“The [forum’s] timing was deliberate, so that we could help craft a tone, hopefully an optimistic one … before Apec begins,” said James Chau, president of co-organiser the China-United States Exchange Foundation.

James Chau, president of the China-United States Exchange Foundation, says the speakers invited are “established figures who transcend political office” and believe in healthy relations between countries. Photo: Harvey Kong

Washington earlier said United States President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco that begins on November 15.

Hong Kong will send finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po after city leader John Lee Ka-chiu said he could not attend due to a scheduling conflict.

Asked about a recent proposal by US lawmakers to sanction 49 city officials, judges and prosecutors for their application of the Beijing-imposed national security law, Chau said recent developments mirrored the reality of a “very difficult relationship” over the past couple of years, which only reminded him of the importance of the forum organisers’ work.