Past Events

It was a pleasure to welcome H.E. Luis Oswaldo López Álvarez, Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador to the People´s Republic of China, along with his delegation, to the Chamber on 17 September. They were warmly received by Chamber CEO Patrick Yeung and Americas Committee Vice Chairman Susana Muñoz Enríquez. Both sides exchanged views on El Salvador’s investment opportunities and Hong Kong’s vibrant business landscape.

Ambassador Álvarez highlighted the country’s strategic advantages, including its prime geographic location, which enables short travel times to major cities in the Americas through 34 direct international routes. With numerous trade agreements, El Salvador offers access to 1.2 billion consumers across 41 countries. It ranked first in Latin America for trade facilitation, providing cost-effective operations and significant progress in digitalization and process streamlining. Notably, the time required to establish a company has been reduced from 30 days to 8 days. Key investment sectors include aeronautics, food and beverage, digital assets, software development, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals and tourism infrastructure.

In a move to facilitate closer bilateral economic ties and collaboration, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, the Provincial Minister for Trade of Punjab, Pakistan, met on Wednesday with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce during a virtual meeting, facilitated by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

The discussion focused on Punjab’s evolving investment landscape and pathways for enhanced cooperation between Hong Kong and one of Pakistan’s most populous and economically significant provinces.

Minister Hussain emphasized the strategic importance of the Hong Kong-Punjab partnership, framing it as a mutually beneficial conduit for businesses seeking entry into foreign markets. To attract foreign investment, the Punjab government is implementing a series of incentives, including the establishment of free trade zones and a significantly streamlined investment approval process.

The provincial government aims to secure federal approval for project investments within one month of submission, underscoring the province’s commitment to improving its attractiveness to investors. This proactive approach has already yielded a notable increase in Chinese investment, with a growing number of companies establishing manufacturing operations in the region.

Chamber CEO Patrick Yeung, Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Chairman Dewan Saiful Alam, and Vice Chairmen Zaman Minhas Qamar and Elton Chan, discussed during the meeting the possibility of signing an MoU during the minister’s visit to Hong Kong in October.
 

HKGCC and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden (HKCCSE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance trade, technical and economic cooperation between the two economies.
 
Chamber Chairman Agnes Chan and HKCCSE Chairman Dr Eric Zhang signed the MOU on 8 September, witnessed by Chamber CEO Patrick Yeung and HKCCSE Honorary Chairman Björn Segerblom.
 
Sweden distinguishes itself within Europe through its robust sectors in retail furniture, food, and innovation, presenting exciting investment prospects. Looking ahead, both sides said they were eager to foster closer collaboration, and Chan proposed to invite Swedish speakers to our International Business Summit on 9 December.