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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco has begun a series of spring receptions on the West Coast of the United States as part of its annual Chinese New Year celebration.
More than 300 government officials and business leaders attended the reception held at the de Young Museum in San Francisco today (March 2, San Francisco time).
In welcoming the guests, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, Ms Subrina Chow, said that there would be much to look forward to in the coming year, particularly in California.
She noted that 2014 saw growth in California goods exports to Hong Kong by 9 per cent to US$8.5 billion. "Over the past decade, goods exports from California to Hong Kong have increased by a total of 73 per cent. We certainly hope this growth momentum would continue, bringing trade between California and Hong Kong to another new height this year," she said.
In offshore Renminbi business, Hong Kong is the largest business centre in the world. "We are eager to co-operate with other offshore centres in Asia, Europe and North America. San Francisco has taken a step forward late last year to become the first Renminbi hub on the West Coast. Our office will continue to work with the major players in the banking sector here to enhance understanding of the business, and promote the use of offshore Renminbi services by Californian traders and investors," Ms Chow said.
The Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs, USA, Mr Clement Leung, who co-hosted the reception, echoed Ms Chow's comments. "We continue to capitalise on our position as China's global financial centre and leverage our 'super-connector' role between the Mainland of China and the rest of the world. We successfully launched the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect that contributes to liberalisation of the Mainland's capital market and consolidates our position as the most significant offshore Renminbi market.
"We are working to promote new growth sectors of arbitration, intellectual property trading and creative industries, as well as innovation and technology," he continued.
On innovation, Ms Chow noted that a San Francisco Bay Area company had won the Smart City Award in the StartmeupHK Venture Programme in Hong Kong.
Looking forward, Ms Chow said that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco will continue to showcase Hong Kong not only as a financial and trading hub, but also as an innovation and creativity centre. Working with long-time as well as new partners, the office has supported the presentation of many Hong Kong movies in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past year and will continue to do so in the new year.
In his remarks at the reception, Mr Leung also touched on the occupy movement in Hong Kong. "While tensions ran high, the movement ended largely peacefully, with ample room for protesters to express their views to the world. This speaks volumes about Hong Kong's civility and the rights and freedoms our citizens enjoy under 'One Country, Two Systems'. Hong Kong is still unique. Our city is still a very special place," he said.
Mr Leung expressed the hope that people in Hong Kong can display pragmatism, flexibility and a can-do spirit to forge a consensus on the implementation of universal suffrage to elect the city's next Chief Executive in 2017 so that 5 million voters will directly elect the next Chief Executive by "one person, one vote".
Ends/Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:15
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