Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO), Ms Emily Mo, spoke at the "Green Opportunities Abound in Hong Kong and The Greater Bay Area" webinar hosted by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (HKCBA) (Montreal Section), Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) in Canada, HKETO and other organisations on July 22. The webinar discussed how Canadian cleantech companies can make use of the Hong Kong platform to diversify their business to Asia.
In delivering welcome remarks at the webinar, Ms Mo first introduced the unique business advantages of Hong Kong, including the city’s prime location in Asia, bilingual common law system, rule of law, free flow of information and capital, low and simple tax system, strong government and global professional support, as well as the free trade agreements signed between Hong Kong and the Mainland of China, and between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Hong Kong's environmental industry is widely recognised as a new growth sector. "The value added of Hong Kong’s environmental industry grew by 5.8% year-on-year to approximately CAD$1.7 billion (HK$9.9 billion) in 2018," Ms Mo said.
Both Hong Kong and Canada share a common goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In this regard, Hong Kong has been exploring various solutions to combat climate change including seeking more zero-carbon energy, adopting energy-saving technologies, promoting the wider use of e-vehicles and enhancing waste reduction and recycling.
According to the World Energy Investment Report 2020 by the International Energy Agency, China is the largest destination for energy investment in the world. "Hong Kong is always the springboard for companies to access the fast-growing markets in Mainland China and Asia," Ms Mo added.
Ms Mo also highlighted the vast opportunities offered by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development. The GBA is a mega city cluster comprising the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and nine cities in the Guangdong Province with a population of 71 million and a GDP of more than US$1.6 trillion, which is similar to the GDP size of Canada. “GBA is designed to become a clean energy and low-carbon region and it presented a lot of golden opportunities. As a strong innovator and producer of clean technology solutions, Canada is well positioned to seize these opportunities," Ms Mo said.
Before closing, Ms Mo highlighted that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong enjoys the dual advantages of being part of China, while maintaining its global outlook and institutional advantages. She encouraged Canadian companies that are thinking to expand to China or Asia to explore the favourable business environment offered by the city.
Chaired by the Vice President of the Montreal Section of HKCBA Mr Jamie Kerr, the webinar was joined by other speakers including Acting Consul General of the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong Ms Patricia Elliott, President and CEO of Écotech Québec Mr Denis Leclerc, General Manager of ORCA Asia Dr. Dawn Chui, and Marketing Manager of HKTDC Toronto office Ms Adrienne Ho.
香港經貿處處長參與網上研討會推介香港的潔淨科技商機
香港駐多倫多經濟貿易辦事處（香港經貿處）處長巫菀菁於七月二十二日參與由港加商會（滿地可分會）、香港貿易發展局（貿發局）加拿大辦事處、香港經貿處及其他機構合辦的「香港及大灣區的環保綠色商機」網上研討會並致辭。該研討會旨在探討加拿大的潔淨科技公司如何善用香港平台擴展業務至亞洲。
巫菀菁在網上研討會上致歡迎辭，她首先向與會者介紹香港獨特的營商優勢，包括香港在亞洲的優越地利、雙語普通法制度、法治、資訊和資金自由流通、簡單低稅制、政府的強大支持和環球專業支援、以及香港與中國內地及香港與東南亞國家聯盟（東盟）簽訂的自由貿易協定。
香港的環保業廣泛被視為新興行業。巫菀菁表示：「在二Ｏ一八年，香港的環保業按年增長百分之5.8，總值約17億加元（99億港元）。」
香港與加拿大均有共同願景於二Ｏ五Ｏ年前實現碳中和的目標。為此，香港一直致力探討各種應對氣候變化的方案，包括探索更多零碳能源、採用節能科技、推動更廣泛使用電動車，以及促進減廢和回收。
根據國際能源機構發表的二Ｏ二Ｏ年世界能源投資報告，中國是全球最大的能源投資目的地。巫菀菁補充說：「香港一直是企業進入中國內地及亞洲，增長迅速的市場的跳板。」
巫菀菁亦介紹粵港澳大灣區（大灣區）發展所帶來的龐大機遇。大灣區是一個超級城市群，由香港和澳門特別行政區及廣東省九個城市組成，總人口達7100萬，本地生產總值超過165萬億美元，與加拿大的國民生產總值相近。巫菀菁表示：「中央政府把大灣區發展成為潔淨能源及低碳區域的計劃，將帶來許多黃金機會。加拿大作為潔淨科技的創新和生產強國，應把握這龐大的商機。」
巫菀菁最後強調，香港在『一國兩制』下享有雙重優勢，它既是中國的一部分，同時亦擁有優良的制度和國際視野。巫菀菁鼓勵有意發展業務至中國或亞洲的加拿大企業，可以考慮香港所提供的優越營商環境。
網上研討會由港加商會滿地可分會副會長Jamie Kerr主持，其他講者包括加拿大駐香港及澳門領事館署理總領事Patricia Elliott、Écotech Québec總裁暨首席行政總監Denis Leclerc、ORCA Asia總經理Dawn Chui博士，及香港貿發局多倫多辦事處市場推廣經理Adrienne Ho。
