China's Vice Premier to address HK's finance summit virtually

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will deliver a virtual keynote speech at the upcoming Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit in Hong Kong, joining discussions on how the financial sector can navigate a complex and volatile global environment.

According to a schedule released by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the fourth edition of the summit will run from next Monday to Wednesday. The Vice Premier is scheduled to speak via video link on the second day of the main forum. He had attended and delivered a keynote speech in person last year.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will also give a keynote address. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will deliver a vote of thanks during the main forum and give a thematic speech at the "Dialogue with International Investors" seminar on the third day.

The summit begins with a welcome dinner at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on Monday evening. The second day's main forum will feature a welcome speech by HKMA chief executive Eddie Yue Wai-man. Sessions will be chaired by the three HKMA deputy CEOs, the CEO of the Securities and Futures Commission, Julia Leung Fung-yee, and the CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Bonnie Chan Yi-ting, among others.

The event has attracted heavyweight financial leaders, including HSBC (0005) group CEO Georges Elhedery, Standard Chartered (2888) CEO Bill Winters, Bank of China (3988) vice chairman and president Zhang Hui, Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO David Solomon, Morgan Stanley chairman and CEO Ted Pick, JPMorgan Chase vice chairman Daniel Pinto, and UBS Group chairman Colm Kelleher.

In a blog post, Yue noted that the summit, now in its fourth year, carries the theme "Trekking through Shifting Terrain." He mentioned that approximately 300 international financial leaders, including over 100 group chairs or CEOs, will explore major trends in macroeconomics, trade, and digitalization, as well as key opportunities and risks across various markets, asset classes, and regions in the coming years.

Using hiking as an analogy, Yue said that just as hikers must watch weather and terrain changes and respond calmly to surprises, financial leaders need risk awareness, prudent strategies, and flexibility in today's complex geo-economic environment. He highlighted sudden shifts in trade policies, rising debt levels, and slowing economic growth as current challenges that financial leaders and regulators are striving to manage.

Yue added that while Hong Kong has seen positive development over the past three years with a vibrant capital market, sustained investment inflows, and bustling city life, this should not be taken for granted amid an increasingly intricate geo-economic landscape.