Paul Chan Mo-po will seek to explain Hong Kong’s efforts to combat terrorism financing and work to attract more funds and business to the city during a five-day Europe trip, noting that stabilising geopolitics will strengthen foreign ties and the economic environment.
The finance chief’s coming trip was announced on Sunday, and follows the easing of tensions after United States President Donald Trump visited mainland China and the reveal that Russian President Vladimir Putin was also set to travel to the country.
“Amid geopolitical turbulence, these dialogues will inject stability into the global landscape and create a more favourable environment for Hong Kong to strengthen its external ties,” the finance chief wrote in his Sunday blog.
“Strengthening international exchanges and addressing questions through face-to-face dialogue will help overseas business and financial sectors better understand Hong Kong’s current landscape and development, as well as the city’s strategic value for their expansion into China and the wider Asian region.”
Chan’s five-day trip will start on Monday, with the top official to attend a ministerial conference in Paris on countering the financing of terrorism, and then head to Brussels to visit European Union organisations and meet with political and corporate leaders.
He said Hong Kong had established a solid reputation in counterterrorism financing, as the Financial Action Task Force had listed the city as the first Asia-Pacific jurisdiction to achieve compliance.
