Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin

Chief Executive’s Policy Address 2024

“Reform for Enhancing Development and Building Our Future Together” is the theme of the 2024 Policy Address delivered by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, on 16 October. The 2024 Policy Address outlines the priorities for Hong Kong’s development and new growth areas, while consolidating our traditional strengthens and encouraging innovation in advancing reforms. Key highlights that may be of interest to the Central and Eastern European markets are summarised below.

Officials from Hong Kong on Visits to Germany and Switzerland

Hong Kong is a leading international financial centre, with our financial sector contributing nearly one-fourth of Hong Kong’s Gross Domestic Product. Switzerland and Hong Kong offer financial services across different time zones and there is ample room for cooperation between the two places. The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, visited Switzerland in November to attend a UN meeting to promulgate Hong Kong’s efforts to create a comprehensive ecosystem for sustainability disclosure, and to meet with his counterparts to discuss opportunities for bilateral co-operation.

Culture and Talent Promotion

HKETO Berlin supported the film festival “Making Waves – Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema” in Berlin, Germany from 20 to 22 September, and hosted a reception before the screening of the opening film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In”, welcoming some 100 guests. Launched in 2022, the “Making Waves – Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema” programme is funded by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of the Hong Kong Government to help Hong Kong films go global. To date, it has showcased the work of many promising Hong Kong filmmakers in over 20 cities.

HKETO Berlin June Newsletter

Dear friends, When was the last time you visited Hong Kong? Perhaps now is an opportune time to think about visiting, both for business and leisure.

2024-25 Budget: Advance with Confidence, Seize Opportunities, Strive for High-quality Development

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, delivered the 2024-25 Budget on 28 February 2024 and announced a series of measures, aiming to promote high-quality economic development amid the complicated and ever-changing international environment.

Officials from Hong Kong on visit to Germany and Switzerland

Leaders of governments, representatives of major international organisations and senior management of enterprises from over 100 countries and regions gathered in Davos, Switzerland to attend the 54th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting held from 15 to 19 January 2024. Representing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, met with political, business and financial leaders to update them on Hong Kong’s latest economic and financial developments.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

This year is the Year of the Dragon, which signifies strength and resilience. HKETO Berlin celebrated the beginning of the Year of the Dragon together with friends and partners of the eight countries under our office’s purview. Eight receptions were held in Warsaw (6 February), Berlin (13 February), Ljubljana (16 February), Bratislava (20 February), Prague (21 February), Zurich (27 February), Budapest (28 February) and Vienna (6 March), bringing together more than 1 200 guests from government, political, business and cultural sectors.

Culture Promotion

Hong Kong is an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. One of its most outstanding assets is its filmmaking, with many of our film professionals winning numerous accolades. HKETO Berlin aspires to bring some of the best film highlights, as well as arts performances to the Central and Eastern European audiences.

HKETO Berlin December Newsletter

The latest issue of the newsletter covers a wide range of Hong Kong topics, including the annual Policy Address by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, recent visits of Hong Kong officials to Central and Eastern Europe, as well as cultural and talent promotion events supported by HKETO Berlin.

Hong Kong to strengthen business competitiveness and attract more international companies

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, delivered his latest Policy Address on 25 October 2023. The overachieving goal is to make Hong Kong a better place for all – for people to enjoy a better living environment, students to receive quality education, young people to fully realise their potential, and the elderly to be well taken care of. “We aspire to create a cohesive and caring community, with a vibrant economy where everyone can enjoy life”, the Chief Executive highlighted.

Official visits and business outreach of HKETO Berlin in second half of 2023

On 8 and 9 June 2023, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, met with Hungarian government officials and the business community on a two-day visit to Budapest, Hungary. He briefed them about the latest initiatives on attracting businesses and investment and highlighted Hong Kong’s unique advantages under “One Country, Two Systems”. Hong Kong and Hungary share close bilateral ties, with Hungary being Hong Kong’s seventh largest trading partner in the European Union. On the other hand, Hong Kong is the gateway for Hungarian enterprises to access the markets of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative. Mr Yau also visited Q Contemporary, an art museum founded by a Hong Kong-born businesswoman, during his visit.

Europe’s leading film festivals showcasing Hong Kong’s finest films

Hong Kong has always been proud of its film industry, and the Hong Kong Government is strongly determined to further nurture the city’s arts and culture sector, including the film industry. In this connection, HKETO Berlin sponsored a series of top-notch film festivals in different European cities, including Zurich, Warsaw, Bratislava and Prague, in the second half of 2023 to bring some of the best Hong Kong productions to the European audience.

HKETO Berlin’s culture and talent promotion

In an era marked by globalisation and international cooperation, Hong Kong is committed to promoting cultural and people-to-people exchange. HKETO Berlin supported a wide range of cultural events throughout this summer and autumn. Apart from the events to be highlighted below, HKETO Beriln also supported Hong Kong’s participation at the Special Olympic World Games in Berlin (17-25 June), the Lustr Festival in Prague (21-26 September), Zuni’s performance at Tempelhof’s 100th celebration in Berlin (7 October), as well as the Hong Kong Pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair (18-22 October).

Director’s Message

Dear friends, We are in the midst of an exciting time for Hong Kong with a lot of good news coming in! With the pandemic finally behind us, there are no longer any pandemic-related restrictions in Hong Kong. Our city is officially back to business with a fresh start. All economic sectors, including investments and tourism, are expected to regain momentum, and Hong Kong’s economy is expected to see a visible rebound as a result. The promising outlook is further underpinned by the fact that Mainland China is also resuming its economic activities and connection with the rest of the world...

New budget puts Hong Kong on track for growth, high-quality development and enhancing people’s quality of life

Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, presented the first Budget of the current-term Government on 22 February 2023. It was also the first since Hong Kong’s emergence from the pandemic and removal of all travel restrictions. Under the title “Leaping Forward Steadily, Together We Bolster Prosperity under Our New Vision”, the Financial Secretary expected a visible economic rebound this year with growth of 3.5 to 5.5% for 2023.

Officials from Hong Kong on visit to Austria and Switzerland

The 53rd WEF Annual Meeting from 16 to 20 January 2023 was a long-awaited event for business and political leaders worldwide. After more than two years, the Annual Meeting returned to its pre-pandemic format and scale with more than 2 700 business executives and state representatives from 130 countries joining worldwide. This edition marked a record-breaking attendance by finance ministers from more than 50 countries and regions, and among them, was the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Mr Paul Chan, who spread the good news of Hong Kong’s return to the world stage. During the four-day event, Mr Chan met with a wide spectrum of political and business leaders, including ministers from Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, heads of international and regional organisations as well as top executives from international and multinational companies, with a view to strengthening bilateral cooperation and updating them about Hong Kong’s favourable development prospects.

More than study opportunities at Austrian education fair

Spring started with Austria’s largest education fair BeSt from 2 to 5 March 2023 in Vienna. Jointly organised by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research and the Austrian Public Employment Service, 75 000 visitors interested in exploring different study and progression pathways attended the fair. Many of them took the chance to stop by HKETO Berlin’s booth to learn about the unique studying and living experience offered through various programmes.

HKETO Berlin’s business outreach

From 24 to 26 April 2023, Katowice was again the centre of attention for experts, politicians and business people alike to meet up and discuss the latest political trends and economic developments under the dynamic geopolitical environment worldwide during the 15th European Economic Congress. As one of the leading business events in Central Europe, Ms Jenny Szeto, Director of the HKETO Berlin, used this excellent platform to display Hong Kong’s aspiration to become a premier centre for innovation and technology (I&T) in Asia and beyond. On 25 April 2023, Ms Szeto joined the panel discussion “Global trade and investment” to share insights on how Hong Kong leverages its economic recovery for nurturing entrepreneurs, talents and research and development to support the sustainable growth of strategic sectors, including I&T. Ms Szeto introduced the recently launched initiatives and funding programmes of the Hong Kong Government to the audience, such as the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint, which outlines the development directions and strategies to nurture Hong Kong as one of the most important I&T centres worldwide.

HKETO Berlin’s culture and film festival highlights

This year, Hong Kong is embracing the liveliness of the Rabbit as we open up ourselves once again after three full years of pandemic restrictions. HKETO Berlin is delighted to organise the festive Chinese New Year celebrations again as well as other cultural events to reconnect with its community in Central and Eastern Europe.

Director’s Message

Dear friends, An eventful and challenging year is drawing to a close. We have all witnessed soaring inflation, geopolitical rifts, uncertainties in regard to the global economic outlook and more. On the other hand, this year is also a year to remember for Hong Kong as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July. Our Office celebrated this very special occasion with a series of events including gala dinners in Berlin and Zurich, a reception in Vienna, physical and virtual photo exhibitions on the past 25 years of Hong Kong cinema, as well as participation in dragon boat racing events and film festivals.

Charting a brighter tomorrow for Hong Kong

On 19 October, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, delivered his maiden Policy Address. Amidst a plethora of global challenges, including the pandemic, high inflation, interest rate hikes, tightening monetary policies, trade disputes and geopolitical tensions, the Chief Executive outlined in his first Policy Address his governing beliefs and visions for Hong Kong, and announced a series of bold measures that aim at improving Hong Kong’s competitiveness, reinforcing its role as a global business and financial hub and attracting more overseas talents and enterprises, while underscoring the need to strengthen national security.

HKETO Berlin’s celebrations under the 25th Anniversary

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary (25A) of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China this year, HKETO Berlin presented a broad range of celebration activities under the theme of “A New Era – Stability. Prosperity. Opportunity”, displaying Hong Kong’s remarkable achievements over the past quarter century and its aspirations for a better future.

Hong Kong’s movies screened at Europe’s top-notch film festivals

On the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China, HKETO Berlin sponsored a series of top-notch film festivals in different European cities. To kick things off, HKETO Berlin supported the “Hong Kong Window” at the 18th Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland’s largest autumn festival.

Hungarian and Polish ventures to explore business opportunities in Hong Kong

Hungary and Poland have all along been important partners of Hong Kong and Mainland China, and we see great potential to further unlock business potential with these regions through deepened cooperation. With the lifting of quarantine requirement, Hong Kong has once again opened its door to international visitors and is keen to revive international business exchange with countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Director’s Message

I hope you have had a good start to the Year of the Tiger! It is unfortunate that we missed the chance to meet at our annual Chinese New Year receptions which were once again cancelled this year owing to the pandemic. Nevertheless, I hope you have enjoyed the video we prepared to share with you the festive greetings from Hong Kong, together with a musical performance from the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and some festive footage from the Hong Kong Tourism Board. With the pandemic situation improving gradually over the past months, we are glad to see that many European countries have eased most of the travelling restrictions and social distancing measures, embarking on the way back to normality.

Hong Kong Budget: A plan for people and businesses to combat the COVID-19 pandemic

The Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivered the Government’s 2022-23 Budget on 23 February 2022, with extensive measures to relieve the hardship of Hong Kong people, render support to the struggling economy and foster a post epidemic economic revival.

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Webinar on Hong Kong’s visual culture in times of the pandemic

HKETO Berlin in collaboration with the THINKTANK and Centre for International Relations (CIR), gathered top-notch experts from the creativity industry in Hong Kong and Poland on February 15, 2022, to discuss current developments of visual culture in Asia and Europe.

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Updates on the business developments in Hong Kong and the GBA for Hungarian ventures

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is a vibrant city cluster comprising the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao, together with nine municipalities in the area including Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The GBA lies at Hong Kong’s doorstep offering unique business opportunities for startups, entrepreneurs as well as for established companies in Hungary. As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Hungary is perfectly located to benefit from the developments in Hong Kong, which serves as the launching pad to access the vast and growing market of the GBA.

Hong Kong’s business advantages showcased at 14th European Economic Congress in Katowice

Ms Jenny Szeto, Director of HKETO Berlin joined the panel discussion “Europe and Asia: discussions about cooperation and economy” as part of the 14th European Economic Congress on April 25, 2022 in Katowice to illustrate the business prospects for European and especially Polish companies that would like to expand to Mainland China using Hong Kong as a gateway. The panel discussion brought together diplomats and government officials from Asia who shared their perspectives on the business ties and opportunities between Asia and Central and Eastern Europe with an audience of some 50 participants from businesses, institutions and ministries from Poland and abroad.

HKETO Berlin’s celebrations under the 25th Anniversary

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China. On this particular occasion, HKETO Berlin will present a broad range of celebration activities under the theme of “A New Era – Stability. Prosperity. Opportunity”, displaying Hong Kong’s remarkable achievements over the past quarter century and its aspirations for a better future. Over the past 25 years, Hong Kong has faced various challenges but has always shown resilience, turned crises into opportunities and emerged stronger.

Hong Kong: Embracing Digital Transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation in businesses at a pace that was not considered possible before. Hong Kong is no exception and has experienced a significant boost in digital transformation over the past two years. As an innovation hub, Hong Kong has invested massively in its digital transformation to meet the challenges of the future. Hong Kong has doubled down on its commitment to revamp the city into a leading global innovation and entrepreneurship hub. It has developed an impressive information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem, with over 93% household penetration of broadband and nearly 100 000 people working in the industry.

Building a Bright Future Together

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, delivered her annual Policy Address themed “Building a Bright Future Together” on October 6, 2021. The Policy Address sets to position Hong Kong as a leading innovation and cultural hub.

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HKETO Berlin Dezember-Newsletter

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