As we embark on 2018, may I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year! Although the outlook for Hong Kong is positive, there are several reasons to be cautious, not least the asset bubbles that continue to climb to record highs.

The period of easy money may well be coming to an end, as central banks ramp up the pace of interest rate normalisation and quantitative tightening. This unwinding process may take place uneventfully or it could turn into something quite messy.

One thing members can be sure of, however, is that the Chamber will be doing its utmost to help them maximize the opportunities that arise and avoid the possible potholes. This means keeping them abreast of market opportunities and challenges both at home and overseas. As the saying goes: “To be informed is to be empowered.”

I believe that as the national initiatives of the Belt and Road and the Greater Bay Area begin to mature and gain momentum, Hong Kong stands to benefit immensely from our role as the preferred gateway between the Mainland and the rest of the world.

Although the opportunities presented are unparalleled, so too are the challenges. To assist members navigate the process of entering unfamiliar markets, the Chamber will be devoting more resources to organising seminars on issues of topical interest, as well as sending overseas missions to up-and-coming markets.

As the largest Chamber in Hong Kong, we enjoy close working relationships with chambers of commerce and governments around the world. This enables us to offer members unrivalled access to senior officials in government and semi-government agencies, which delegates value highly. A recent example is our high-level mission to Beijing, which you can read about in this issue.

Another key initiative that the Chamber will be pursuing in 2018 concerns encouraging the Government to take a sensible approach to lawmaking. We have been calling for the Government to adopt a systemic and methodical process for evaluating new and existing regulations to ensure they serve their intended purpose, and without burdening businesses and the public with compliance costs and red tape.

We realise that this will take time, but we are committed to bringing about meaningful change, such as the two-tiered tax proposal which the Chamber lobbied long and hard for before the Government took it on board.

Overall the signs are quite encouraging, given the Chief Executive’s assertion in her maiden Policy Address to review and remove outdated regulations – although these are currently focused on the development of new-economy activities. We are optimistic, however, that this exercise will be broadened in scope to include all regulations.

With the proliferation of new technology, the Chamber is also actively looking into ways to better communicate and engage with members. Your feedback and views are important in helping us help you. Do let us know how we are doing so we can serve you better.

Last, but by no means least, if you have not yet done so, please remember to renew your Chamber membership so that you do not miss out on what promises to be a very exciting 2018.