Newsletter

Dear friends,

Here is the latest issue of Hong Kong Files, the newsletter published by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Jakarta that contains major news on Hong Kong and our office.

You are welcome to share the information with colleagues and interested parties.

Upcoming activities highlights
Reconnect: Hong Kong-Malaysia Partnership webinar [September 24] Join the “Reconnect: Hong Kong-Malaysia Partnership” webinar on 24 September 2020 at 15:00-16:30 Jakarta time / 16:00-17:30 Malaysia and Hong Kong time. Government and business leaders from both Hong Kong and Malaysia will share insights on emerging opportunities with the application of innovation and technology, as well as in the trade and investment fields under the “new normal”. The webinar will be a valuable opportunity for enterprises, manufacturers, professional services and start-ups to explore opportunities for collaboration and partnership in braving challenges ahead. Register here.
Hong Kong FinTech week [November 2-6] The week-long global financial technology event will take place virtually in Hong Kong this year, featuring multi-track conferences with prominent speakers, the FintechHK Global Final, the Global Fast Track Programme, exhibitions, deal floors, networking events, demo shows and more. Register here.
Belt and Road Summit 2020 [November 30] The Belt and Road Summit is a premier international platform for promoting business collaboration along the Belt and Road. The Summit gathers senior government officials and business leaders from countries and regions along and beyond the Belt and Road to exchange insights on multilateral co-operation and explore concrete business opportunities.
Updates on Hong Kong
ASEAN-HK Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement The part relating to Indonesia under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Investment Agreement (IA) between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) entered into force on July 4. Also, the part relating to Brunei will also enter into force on October 20. The FTA and the IA are comprehensive in scope, encompassing trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical co-operation, dispute settlement mechanism and other related areas. The Agreements bring legal certainty, better market access and fair and equitable treatment in trade and investment, thus creating new business opportunities and further enhancing trade and investment flows between Hong Kong and ASEAN. Read more about the Agreements here.
“Riding Ups and Downs: Hong Kong- Indonesia Partnership” webinar The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong jointly held a webinar entitled “Riding Ups and Downs: Hong Kong-Indonesia Partnership” on August 18 to strengthen partnerships in trade, investment, professional services and technology. The webinar also explored the business opportunities of the Mainland's overseas Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones (ETCZs) in Indonesia for interested Hong Kong businesses. Read the speech delivered by Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, or watch the webinar online.
APEC Virtual Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, participated in the Virtual Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2020 on July 25. Speaking at the meeting, which was dedicated to discussing APEC's response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Yau called on all APEC economies to act in unity and in a manner consistent with the World Trade Organization rights and obligations, and to refrain from raising unjustified trade barriers. He added that a well-functioning and effective multilateral trading system is needed more than ever to mitigate the enormous economic challenges and sustain a dynamic but stable international market environment. He also spoke on Hong Kong's strategy in combating the epidemic. Read the joint statement of the meeting here.
The 4th ASEAN Economic Ministers-Hong Kong Consultations Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, co-chaired via video conference the Fourth ASEAN Economic Ministers - Hong Kong, China Consultations with the Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Mr Tran Tuan Anh, on August 28. At the meeting, economic ministers from the 10 ASEAN Member States and Hong Kong exchanged views on a response to the economic impact of the pandemic, discussed possible areas for co-operation and collaboration, and took stock of the implementation of the ASEAN-HK FTA and the ASEAN-HK IA. Read the joint media statement of the consultation here.
“Global trade in transition? The world after COVID-19” webinar Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, joined a group of experts to discuss the future of globalisation after COVID-19, and its impact on Asian trade on September 9. Watch the webinar here.
Hong Kong once again ranked as world's freest economy by Economic Freedom of the World report The Fraser Institute once again ranked Hong Kong as the world's freest economy in the Economic Freedom of the World 2020 Annual Report. Hong Kong has gained the top rank since the inception of the report. Among the five areas of assessment, Hong Kong was ranked top in "Freedom to Trade Internationally" and "Regulation". This is an unambiguous recognition of Hong Kong's long-standing and steadfast commitment to building a free economy with a level playing field. Read the report here.
Hong Kong among the most innovative places in the Global Innovation Index The Global Innovation Index 2020 prepared by Cornell University, INSEAD and World Intellectual Property Organisation ranked Hong Kong the 11th in the Global Innovation Index. The HKSAR Government spares no effort in developing innovation & technology. Over $100 billion has been committed in the past three years for providing technological research infrastructure, subsidising R&D activities, as well as pooling together and nurturing technology talents. Some of these efforts in developing innovation & technology bear fruit in combating COVID-19. Read more here.
“A.I. and Deep Tech in Healthcare, A Wider Landscape for Indonesian Healthtech in Hong Kong” webinar Co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade office, this webinar on September 5 provided an overview of the healthtech ecosystem in Indonesia, and discuss the healthtech landscape for the innovative companies in Hong Kong, in addition to the competitive advantages that Hong Kong has in Asia. Watch the webinar here.
Legislative Council General Election postponed for a year The 2020 Legislative Council General Election will be postponed for a year to September 5, 2021, in order to protect public safety and public health as well as ensure elections are conducted openly and fairly. Read more here.
Hong Kong COVID-19 updates Hong Kong started to relax its social distancing measures as the local epidemic wave has continued to subside. From September 18, restaurants are allowed to provide dine-in services until midnight, while bars, pubs, entertainment venues, swimming pools and bathhouses are allowed to reopen. Details here. Hong Kong completed its 14-day Universal Community Testing Programme successfully on September 14. A total of about 1 783 000 persons have registered at the community testing centres around the territory for COVID-19 testing. Watch a video to learn more.