Hong Kong’s Paul Chan goes on tech charm offensive to deepen ties with UK, Spain

Post learns meetings with British officials might be on the cards for finance chief as he leads tech-focused delegation to Europe

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Ties between Hong Kong and London have cooled amid geopolitical tensions between China and the UK. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 4:12pm, 21 Sep 2024Updated: 11:55pm, 21 Sep 2024

Hong Kong is seeking to deepen ties with trading partners in Europe, with the city’s finance chief set to make his second post-pandemic trip to London after visiting Madrid with a delegation of tech industry leaders.

The Post learned on Saturday that Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po could also meet British officials during his trip, just months after the country’s Labour Party took office.

Chan attended the opening of a forum with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in Beijing on Friday, where they promoted Hong Kong’s investment opportunities. The minister will next visit Spain for four days, meeting businesses and other local stakeholders to promote Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) sector.

The government said Chan would arrive in London on Wednesday and meet members of the “local political, business and financial communities”.

“The coming visit is intended to strengthen communication with European nations and reinforce relations with traditional markets and present Hong Kong’s strengths in I&T through a delegation of start-ups,” a source close to Chan’s office said.

While in London, the finance chief will attend a dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, a lunch held by the UK-based Hong Kong Association and a round table meeting involving the Asia House think tank.