The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for a visit to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia tomorrow afternoon (October 22). The visit seeks to strengthen the financial and commercial ties and co-operation between Hong Kong and the Middle East, and promote Hong Kong’s latest economic and financial developments to the Middle East markets, thus telling the good stories of Hong Kong and exploring potential business opportunities. 
      
     Mr Chan will visit Bahrain on October 23 and 24. While in Bahrain, he will call on senior government officials and business leaders, and explain to them the vast potential of Hong Kong's economy and the Greater Bay Area market with a view to forging closer bilateral trade and investment ties.
      
     Mr Chan will visit Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 25 to 27 to attend the 6th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) organised by the Future Investment Initiative Foundation. He will speak at a plenary session on October 25 and share views on the political and economic outlooks, and elaborate on Hong Kong's status and edges as a leading global financial centre.
      
     During his stay in Riyadh, Mr Chan will attend and give a keynote address at a breakfast meeting co-organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, HKEX and Investcorp, an alternative investment management company in the Middle East. He will take the opportunity to promote - to government, business and financial leaders attending the FII and in the Middle East - Hong Kong's pre-eminent role as the financial gateway to the Mainland, explaining how the city can help them tap the vast business opportunities brought by the Mainland's development. Mr Chan will also call on various government and business leaders in order to strengthen bilateral commercial ties.
      
     Mr Chan said, "The Chief Executive has emphasised in his Policy Address that we need to tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong. Principal Officials will make visits to overseas, including emerging markets, to showcase the strengths of Hong Kong. I anticipate that this visit will help Hong Kong extend its economic and trade ties with the Middle East and help rebuild the image and branding of Hong Kong."
      
     Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on October 28. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will act as Financial Secretary.

Ends/Friday, October 21, 2022
Issued at HKT 18:41

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