On May 18th, Asia Centre had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and its delegation. Mr. Evrard Didier, member of the executive committee of Asia Centre, moderated the discussion between Mr. Paul Chan and Mr. Jean-Pierre Landau, high-ranking official.
Paul Chan Mo-po is the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a position he has held since 2017. A certified public accountant by training, he previously served as Secretary for Development and was President of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. With extensive experience spanning public policy, finance and economic governance, he plays a central role in shaping Hong Kong’s economic strategy and international financial positioning.
Jean-Pierre Landau is an associate professor at Sciences Po (Department of Economics). Former Deputy Governor at Banque de France and Former Executive Director for France, the IMF and the World Bank.
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At the meeting, Mr Chan shared the latest economic and social situation of Hong Kong, as well as the directions and priority areas for its future development, and exchanged views with the board members on the international economic and trade landscape and China’s development.
Mr Chan pointed out that the “one country, two systems” arrangement in Hong Kong will be upheld in the long run, and that Hong Kong’s competitive advantages are built on multiple aspects, including the common law system, free port status, low tax regime, a stable business environment, predictable economic and financial policies, and mutual market access with the Mainland’s capital markets, making Hong Kong the best gateway for international capital to connect with China opportunities. In recent years, apart from continuously developing trade and finance, Hong Kong has been actively nurturing the innovation and technology industry, making dedicated efforts to attract enterprises and talent to Hong Kong, and promoting the development of emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and biomedicine. The vast market of the Greater Bay Area and the development of emerging and future industries will create broader application scenarios and development space for European products and enterprises. In addition, under the country’s dual circulation strategy, more Mainland enterprises will set up factories and expand their businesses in Southeast Asia and Europe through Hong Kong.
He welcomed more multifaceted exchanges between Asia Centre Paris and Hong Kong, including organising delegations to visit Hong Kong, so as to enhance in-depth mutual understanding between the two places and facilitate the financial and business sectors of both sides in exploring more opportunities for mutually beneficial co-operation.
