Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office fosters ties with Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah

The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francico (HKETO San Francisco), Ms Jacko Tsang visited Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah to renew existing bonds, strengthen existing ties and build new connections.

Arizona
During her visit in Phoenix, AZ on August 24-26, Ms Tsang met with Mr Doug Bruhnke, Executive Director, Global Chamber Phoenix; Ms Connie Kadansky, MCC, Chairperson, Advisory Board of Global Chamber Phoenix; and Mr Michael Patterson, Partner and Attorney at Law, Spencer Fane LLP. They shared the work priorities of their respective organizations and explored possible collaboration opportunities. Ms Tsang also elaborated on the vast opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development for foreign companies in Hong Kong. Sharing a common mission in facilitating trade, business and investment, the two sides look forward to working with hand in hand to further strengthen the trade ties between Hong Kong and Arizona.

While in Phoenix, Ms Tsang attended the reception of the Asian Corporate & Entrepreneur Leaders’s 2023 Leadership Conference. At the meeting with ACEL’s founder and President, Mr Jason Wong, Ms Tsang shared the Hong Kong government’s latest measures in attracting business and talents, in particular the Top Talent Pass Scheme, under which graduates of the world’s top 100 universities, including University of Arizona, as well as high-earners whose income exceeded about US$320k in the past year, may apply for a visa to stay in Hong Kong for two years without having to first secure a job offer. The Scheme opens a new door for international talents to explore living, working or establishing a business in Hong Kong.

Nevada
With support from HKETO-San Francisco and organized by the National U.S. Hong Kong Business Association, the business forum entitled “Hong Kong: Gateway to Prosperity” was held on Sep 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At the dialogue with Ms Regina Lai, Regional Director, Americas of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Ms Tsang shared with the audience Hong Kong’s unique advantages and what it has to offer to US companies under “one country, two systems”. She also elaborated on the opportunities in Hong Kong for businesses as well as talents, specifically in the areas of web3/virtual assets development and carbon neutrality. She welcomed talents to make good use of the Top Talent Pass Scheme to explore living and working in the city.

Hawaii
Ms Tsang visited Honolulu, Hawaii on September 24-26. She paid a visit to the Honolulu City Council where she had a fruitful exchange with Council Chair Tommy Waters and Councilman Calvin Say, who is also Hawaii State’s Speaker Emeritus, on fostering better understanding and closer ties between Hong Kong and Honolulu.

Ms Tsang addressed an audience at the Global VIP Reception arranged by the Hong Kong Business Association of Hawaii and supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Gathering at the reception were leaders coming from various parts of the world, including the states of California, Hawaii and New York of the US, Canada as well as Hong Kong, who shared the firm belief that Hong Kong continues to be the premier business hub of China and has tremendous potential as part of the GBA.

At the 2023 GO GBA Business Forum in Honolulu organized by Hong Kong Business Association of Hawaii, Ms Tsang gave a keynote speech on Hong Kong’s latest development during the opening spotlight. She talked about the role of Hong Kong in the national GBA development and highlighted financial services, greentech and web3 as three of the key areas that play to Hong Kong’s strengths. Ms Tsang was also a panelist, along with Prof. Benjamin Chang, at a Panel Session focusing on I&T moderated by Prof. Gregg Li. During the discussion, she shared how Hong Kong and other GBA cities may complement each other in I&T, Hong Kong’s recent efforts in developing I&T as well as measures in place to facilitate cross boundary interaction in GBA on fostering I&T development and creating business opportunities.

Utah
Ms Tsang was in Salt Lake City on September 27-29, during which she had a meeting with Mr Jonathan Freedman, Chief Executive Officer, President; Mr David Carlebach, Chief Operations Officer, Managing Director International Programs; and Ms Tiffeny Yen-Louie, Chief Marketing Officer, Managing Director of Partnerships of World Trade Center Utah.

At the meeting, Ms Tsang provided updates on Hong Kong, including the city’s latest economic performance and priority sectors. She highlighted the rapid development of I&T in Hong Kong, as evidenced by the growth in the number start-ups and unicorns as well as VC investment. She also introduced the office’s Dedicated Team for Attracting Businesses and Talents, which provides a full range of services and information to entrepreneurs interested in establishing operations in Hong Kong. US companies and talents are always welcome to reach out to us to get to know the opportunities in Hong Kong.

Ms Tsang also met with Erin Farr, Vice President of Business Development, and Gerritt Vander Linden, Business Development Manager at the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. They shared updates on Hong Kong and the State of Utah with each other and explored opportunities for future collaboration.

Ms Tsang said the Hong Kong Government has been actively promoting I&T through strengthening support for R&D, startups and tech companies, with a view to diversifying the economy. She also highlighted the various measures in place to attract talents and businesses to Hong Kong, including the introduction of the Top Talent Pass Scheme.