Hong Kong’s narrative in US too negative to expect better ties ‘any time soon’, delegation told

American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong shares remarks from US officials, experts after returning from annual trip to Washington

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American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong sent a delegation to Washington for a four-day visit to meet various experts and US officials. Photo: Instagram@amchamhk

Published: 9:04pm, 18 Jul 2024Updated: 12:14am, 19 Jul 2024

Hong Kong’s narrative in the United States is too negative to expect improvement in mutual relations “any time soon”, while the city should strengthen its “two systems” characteristics, locally based American business leaders have been told in a recent trip to Washington.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong shared the remarks after its delegation returned from a four-day visit to the country’s capital, where they met policy experts and think tank, trade and commerce officials, among others.

The business group published a piece titled “Hong Kong in a thorny situation” on its website, saying those met during the trip were “very concerned” about the city’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

The legislation was introduced in March and complements the national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020.

“Given Hong Kong’s position between China and the US, the overall US sentiment towards Hong Kong is quite negative, and US-Hong Kong relations are unlikely to improve any time soon,” the business chamber said.

The delegation had also told US officials and experts that “a large majority of [chamber] members are hunkering down and not leaving Hong Kong” and were “still confident in the rule of law and believe in Hong Kong as an excellent place to do business”, it added.