Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan chat at top-level Apec summit, as minister tells world leaders cooperation key to tackling global warming
- Financial Secretary Paul Chan also shook hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and sat to the left of Xi Jinping before the Apec economic leaders’ meeting started
- Chan exchanged views at summit on promotion of regional cooperation, economic prosperity, climate change, green transformation and the digital economy
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also shook hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and sat to the left of Xi before the 30th Apec economic leaders’ meeting started on Thursday (US time).
Xi took the initiative and chatted with Chan twice for about four minutes.
When US President Joe Biden approached and spoke to Xi after the American leader’s speech at the meeting, Chan stood at one side and listened.
Chan exchanged views at the summit on the promotion of regional cooperation, economic prosperity, climate change, green transformation, the digital economy, and the achievement of greater inclusiveness and sustainable development, a government spokesman said.
The meeting was held over two sessions, with the first featuring discussions on combating climate change and green transformation.
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“To effectively combat this global issue that the world must look squarely into, Mr Chan said during the meeting that apart from the individual efforts of each economy, the more important key lies in international cooperation and implementation of strong and constructive policies,” a government statement said.
“Mr Chan pointed out that global green transformation requires policy coordination, as well as funding and technical cooperation and support, hence bringing along immense business opportunities.”
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The financial secretary said Hong Kong would join forces with sister cities in the Greater Bay Area to develop into an international centre of green technology and green finance. The bay area is Beijing’s plan to link Hong Kong and Macau with nine mainland Chinese cities to create an economic and business powerhouse.
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“Mr Chan said Hong Kong looks forward to enhancing cooperation with other Apec members to achieve high-quality development that is sustainable, green and more inclusive,” the spokesman added.
Chan also appeared in a group photo taken before the meeting, in the second row next to Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s prime minister.
Xi, Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and others were in the front row.
Chan is representing Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit as the city leader, who is under US sanctions, said he could not attend because of “scheduling issues”, although he received a personal invitation.
The financial secretary joined the nation’s delegation to greet Xi when he arrived in California on Tuesday, and delivered a speech to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs the following day.
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Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for semi-official Beijing think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the exchanges between Xi and Chan were “simply social etiquette” without any implications.
“In the past, all chief executives were placed next to the country’s president in the seating arrangements due to alphabetical order. When sitting together, of course, they will exchange a few words,” he said.
“We do not need to read too much into it. It would be odd if they did not talk to each other. It may mean that the president may have some comments on Hong Kong.”
Lee on Friday, meanwhile, attended a lunch to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment in 1998 of the first Legislative Council after the city’s change of sovereignty the previous year.
He did not give a speech at the lunch, held at the Legco complex, which senior officials and Executive Council members also attended.
Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen urged lawmakers to assist the city leader and his administration in advancing and striving for the development of Hong Kong.
Lee said on his social media page that he had also invited two former Legco presidents, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai and Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, and two former secretary generals to the lunch, which had “historic significance”.
Additional reporting by Willa Wu
