Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, visited The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen on December 7. Accompanied by Professor Yangsheng Xu, President of CUHK-Shenzhen, he toured the campus facilities. Following this, Mr. Chan delivered a keynote speech titled "Global Economic Megatrends and Hong Kong's New Positioning and Developments.

Shenzhen's Vice Mayor Ms. Zhang Hua, and more than 200 faculty, student representatives and invited guests attended the event.

President Yangsheng Xu with Paul Chan Mo-Po (right）

In his address, Mr. Chan shared three major trends in global socio-economic development: technological innovation and transformation, green and low-carbon transition, and digital development. He analyzed the current state of re-globalization and regionalization, the rise of the Global South, and the geopolitical landscape.

Mr. Chan emphasized that the medium- to long-term outlook for the national economy remains positive. He highlighted Hong Kong's advantages under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework and the solid support from the central government. The central government has endowed Hong Kong with eight international center functions: international financial center, international shipping center, international trade center, international aviation hub, international innovation and technology center, Asia-Pacific international legal and dispute resolution services center, regional intellectual property trading center, and a cultural and arts exchange center. These functions enhance Hong Kong's ability to attract enterprises and talents.

Discussing Hong Kong's new positioning and actions, Mr. Chan stressed the importance of mutual promotion between traditional and emerging industries. He noted the need to consolidate traditional markets while exploring emerging ones, as well as to strengthen competitive industries and develop new sectors. He particularly highlighted the importance of building on Hong Kong's status as an international innovation and technology center, with a focus on developing new quality productive forces in four key areas: AI and data science, life and health technology, fintech, and new energy and new materials.

He also called for accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis and deepening innovation and technology collaboration in the Greater Bay Area, expressing optimism about the medium- to long-term development prospects for Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the nation. 

During his campus tour,  Mr. Chan engaged in conversations with undergraduate and postgraduate students, inquiring about their study and life experiences at CUHK-Shenzhen. He expressed his appreciation and offered them words of encouragement.

Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po (Second from the left) and President Yangsheng Xu (Second from the right) with students 

 

Speaker Profile 

The Honourable Paul Chan Mo-po

GBM, GBS, MH, JP 

Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR 

Mr. Chan is a certified public accountant and former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Before joining the government, he held various public offices including Legislative Council member and chairman of the Legal Aid Services Council. He served as Secretary for Development from July 2012 to January 2017, and has been Financial Secretary since 2017.