Hong Kong and Europe have immense potential for cooperation across trade, investment and innovation and technology, capable of driving mutually beneficial development, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday as he concluded his five-day visit to France, Belgium and Switzerland last week.
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In his weekly blog, Chan noted that Europe bears a strong desire for transformation. Faced with unilateralism and major power rivalry, European nations seek greater strategic autonomy. Economically, they are pursuing multinational cooperation and risk diversification to build stronger economic resilience.
On industrial investment – particularly in cutting-edge tech fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) – they recognize the urgent need to turn discussions into concrete moves and pool resources to catch up.
For European counterparts, Chan highlighted that Hong Kong’s value proposition stands out prominently in three major areas. The city remains an under-allocated market for European financial institutions and investors. Both sides can explore cross-border investment and regulatory cooperation to mutually expand their markets. Hong Kong also offers a strong platform for financial innovation.
He pointed out that many of the European Union and international organization officials he met during the trip had not visited Hong Kong since the pandemic. Open exchanges during the trip deepened their understanding of the local market, lifted confidence in Hong Kong’s prospects and eased previous misunderstandings.
Chan added that European stakeholders welcome mainland enterprises’ investment inflows that bring capital, technology and local jobs, yet harbor concerns about domestic companies facing heightened competition.
He invited European delegations to tour Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area to explore flexible cooperation models and secure stable, long-term win-win development for both sides.
