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Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (New York ETO) is sponsoring a captivating lineup of nine exceptional Hong Kong films and documentaries to Season 19 of Asian Pop-Up Cinema in Chicago (Mar 21 - Apr 12). This year’s Centerpiece presentation features the US premiere of the extended version of “The Last Dance”, a poignant Hong Kong drama featuring a career-defining performance by Michelle Wai, who will receive the Festival’s Extraordinary Actors Award. The film’s director Anselm Chan will join Wai at the post-screening Q&A session. Other attending guests from Hong Kong include directors Ho Miu-ki and Albert Mak, as well as producers Peter Chan and Chan Hing-ka. Check out the full lineup and get your tickets for this special Hong Kong cinematic experience!

New York ETO hosted an exclusive luncheon (Mar 13) with women leaders from New York’s banking, finance, legal, non-profit, and technology sectors. The event facilitated a rich dialogue with Commissioner for Women’s Affairs of Hong Kong’s Home and Youth Affairs Bureau Joyce Chan, who was in New York for the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Attendees engaged in thought-provoking conversations about advancing women’s empowerment, navigating work-life balance challenges, and creating pathways to inspire the next generation of women leaders. Ms Chan also shared insights from Hong Kong’s Women Commission and highlighted ongoing efforts to support and uplift women in the city, alongside key takeaways from the UN conference.

Earlier, New York ETO also hosted an intimate gathering (Mar 11) for Hong Kong students from Columbia University, New York University, and The Juilliard School, with the event joined by Ms Chan. Welcoming the guests, Director of New York ETO, Maisie Ho, highlighted the incredible achievements and empowerment of women in Hong Kong across various fields. She also encouraged the students to explore exciting opportunities in their home city. The gathering also provided a chance for the students to connect, share their experiences in New York, and forge lasting friendships with fellow Hong Kong youth.

Wealth & Investment Mega Event Week anticipated

Hong Kong’s “Wealth & Investment Mega Event Week” at the end of March will feature several high-profile international gatherings, including the Global Investors’ Symposium organised by the Milken Institute, the HSBC Global Investment Summit, the Bloomberg Family Office Summit, and the inaugural One Earth Summit as supported by the World Economic Forum, alongside the Art Basel Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Sevens. A highlight of the week is the third edition of the Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit (WGHK) on Mar 26, providing a platform for global leaders in family office finance and philanthropy to network. Themed “Hong Kong of the World, for the World”, the flagship event will showcase Hong Kong as a global family office hub and reinforce the city’s reputation as a leading international financial centre. Hong Kong is home to over 2,700 single-family offices, more than half of which hold assets exceeding US$50 million. Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said Hong Kong takes a more crucial role as a “super-connector” and a “super value-adder” for the Mainland and the world than ever. With a distinct and independent regulatory and legal regime, Hong Kong will continue to deepen its co-operation with the international community.

Global experts explore climate change and trade law

The Conference on Climate Change & International Trade Law was held in hybrid format in Hong Kong (Mar 14), attracting about 600 registrations from jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa. Jointly organised by the UN Commission on International Trade Law and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy of the Department of Justice, the conference discussed how international trade law can effectively support the achievement of global climate action goals. Delivering opening remarks, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said the various local climate change initiatives have demonstrated Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre as well as a green and sustainable finance hub, adding that the wide spectrum of issues discussed illustrates how international trade law can effectively support the climate action goals set by the global community.

Hong Kong named world's most improved in QS University Rankings

Universities in Hong Kong made significant improvements in the newly published 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, which covers 55 individual subjects across five broad subject areas. Hong Kong is recognised as the world’s most improved location, with six local degree courses rated among the world’s top 10. In addition, an impressive 68% of 231 programmes from nine Hong Kong institutions rose in the rankings, attesting to the city’s rise as an international education hub. The University of Hong Kong stood out with four subjects in the global top 10, including Dentistry (2nd), Education (3rd), Linguistics (9th) and Geography (10th). The Chinese University of Hong Kong earned global top 10 rankings, in nursing (5th) and linguistics (10th).

Hong Kong to host Asia Pacific internet summit

Hong Kong will host the World Internet Conference (WIC) Asia-Pacific Summit 2025 (Apr 14-15), themed “Integration of AI & Digital Technologies Shaping the Future - Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”. This marks the first time the WIC has designated Hong Kong to host the Asia-Pacific summit, which is expected to attract around 1,000 participants from the Mainland and overseas. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Professor Sun Dong pointed out that Hong Kong’s selection as the host affirms the city’s pivotal role of bridging China and the world as a dual platform, further strengthening its position as an international I&T centre. The summit aims to deepen regional co-operation in the I&T field, support Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T centre, and foster the development of the digital economy across the Asia-Pacific region. 

Hong Kong’s Innovation & Technology Commission is inviting proposals for the third InnoHK research cluster, SEAM@InnoHK, which focuses on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials. This follows the establishment of the first two research clusters, the Health@InnoHK, focusing on healthcare technology, and AIR@InnoHK, focusing on artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. SEAM@InnoHK aims to foster collaboration between top universities, research institutes and the industries in research and development (R&D), and promote the translation of R&D outcomes into impactful, real-world applications and the development of relevant industries in Hong Kong. Applications are now open to leading global universities and research institutions.  Guidance notes for proposal submission can be found here. The application deadline is 5pm on Aug 29 (Hong Kong time). 

Water Supplies Department gets global innovation award

Hong Kong’s Water Supplies Department (WSD) received the Most Outstanding Award at the 2024 Global Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award Ceremony (Mar 14) held in Bangkok, Thailand. This follows the Hong Kong MIKE Award 2024 by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, highlighting the WSD’s outstanding performance in knowledge management and innovation. The WSD was lauded for its commitment to establish the Digital Water Office and active participation in knowledge management initiatives. The WSD was also commended for its initiatives in exploring the application of artificial intelligence, developing the Asset Management Information System, and implementing Building Information Modelling. The Global MIKE Award is the highest accolade in the field of knowledge management. Since 2021, the WSD has consecutively won the Global MIKE Award and the Hong Kong MIKE Award, including winning the Hong Kong Top Winner title for the first time last year. 

Two Hong Kong flagship events, Hong Kong FinTech Week and StartmeupHK Festival, will converge for their 10^th anniversary milestone, creating an expanded platform for technology and business from Nov 3 – 7. This underscores Hong Kong’s dedication to the digital economy by tapping into its strengths as a top international financial centre and a thriving start-up hub. This unique collaboration unites the worlds of fintech and entrepreneurship, bringing together over 37,000 executives, over 800 leading speakers, and over 700 exhibitors from more than 100 economies to share insights and explore the future of technology. 

Year-on-year increase in visitor arrivals to Hong Kong

Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong for the first two months of 2025 reached 8.4 million according to the latest provisional figures (Mar 14). This marked a year-on-year increase of 7%. Visitor arrivals from the Mainland were steady, while the growth momentum of non-Mainland markets prevailed. Arrivals from short-haul markets were satisfactory. Among the long-haul markets, arrivals from Australia showed an exceptional boost of 34% compared with the same months in 2024.

Australian Neil Robertson stormed to a 10-0 victory over Englishman Stuart Bingham to win the World Snooker Grand Prix 2025 (Mar 4-9) held at the brand-new Kai Tak Arena. This year’s tournament is especially significant as it was the first time the prestigious event was held outside the United Kingdom. The tournament featured 32 of the world’s top-ranked players, including World No.1 and Hong Kong resident Judd Trump, who lost to Bingham in the semi-final. Fans were also treated to exhibition matches involving local heroes Marco Fu and Ng On Yee, who took on Jimmy White of England and Thailand's Mink Nutcharut respectively.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia wins LIV Golf Hong Kong

Record crowds flocked to the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling to experience LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025 (Mar 7-9) for the second year running. Spaniard Sergio Garcia claimed his second LIV Golf title, with an 18-under-par and also led his Fireballs GC to the team crown. South African Dean Burmester came in second while American Phil Mickelson finished third. The action on the fairway was enhanced by live music, family fun zones and some of Hong Kong’s top chefs dishing out culinary delights, Hong Kong was the third leg of the 2025 LIV Golf circuit.

Addressing concerns about Hong Kong’s housing market, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government said (Mar 5), in a statement, disagreed with an observation made in an S&P report that there is an oversupply of residential properties in Hong Kong, pointing out the 4.5% vacancy rate of private flats at end-2024 was on par with the long-term average of the previous 20 years. The Government expects stable development in the residential property market this year, supported by lower interest rates, continued economic growth and influx of talent. The S&P report also expects Hong Kong’s property prices to stabilise in 2025. Regarding local property development and investment loans, the Government agrees with S&P’s view that Hong Kong banks can manage the strains arising from the commercial real estate sector. As for the small and medium-sized banks mentioned in S&P’s report, the Government said those banks have been taking appropriate credit risk mitigation measures, such as collateralisation, in accordance with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s guidelines. Banks in Hong Kong also have strong capital positions and good profitability to withstand the extreme scenario of large volatility in property prices.

Public warned of fake “National Hong Kong Coin” rumour

The HKSAR Government clarified (Mar 6) that information being circulated online about the launch of a “National Hong Kong Coin” on blockchain purported to be announced by the Chief Executive is fake and cautioned the public not to believe it. It pointed out that the information is totally fictitious with fraudulent intent and strongly condemned those who have attempted to distribute fake information in the name of the Chief Executive. The Government reminded members of the public to remain vigilant and verify the authenticity of such content. The incident has been referred to Police for a follow-up investigation.

The HKSAR Government expressed (Mar 4) strong disapproval of the US’s imposition of a further 10% duty on products of Hong Kong (i.e. a cumulative 20% duty). A HKSAR Government spokesman said the US’s measure is grossly inconsistent with the relevant World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and harms the interest of both parties. The HKSAR Government once again urges the US to take immediate actions to rectify its wrongdoing and withdraw the unilateral tariff measures. “The HKSAR Government strongly opposes any unreasonable behaviour that disregards the international trade order. As announced earlier, the HKSAR Government will file a complaint regarding the matter with the WTO to defend our legitimate rights,” the spokesman reiterated. 

The Basic Law (BL) is the constitutional document of the HKSAR. It provides the guarantees to maintain our existing way of life, including socio-economic development, the rights and duties of Hong Kong people, the rule of law and other areas. The Basic Law was put into effect on July 1, 1997.

Q: What name may the HKSAR use to, on its own, conclude and implement agreements with foreign states and regions and relevant international organisations in the appropriate fields, such as the economic, trade, financial and monetary fields?

A: According to Article 151 of the Basic Law, the HKSAR may on its own, using the name “Hong Kong, China”, maintain and develop relations and conclude and implement agreements with foreign states and regions and relevant international organisations in the appropriate fields, including the economic, trade, financial and monetary, shipping, communications, tourism, cultural and sports fields.