The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva hosted a reception on June 24 (Geneva time) to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with over 230 guests from diplomatic missions to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and key contacts in various international organisations, the academia and local businesses.

     Speaking at the reception, the Permanent Representative of the HKSAR of China to the WTO, Miss Winky So, highlighted how the city, from a humble fishing village to a top-notch international trade and financial centre, has reinvented itself time and again to stay vibrant, while holding fast to the policy of free trade and the principles enshrined in the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO.

     To the guests, she said, "we are privileged to stand alongside friends like you, who are not just like-minded champions of free trade, but also guardians of a system that has connected economies and brought stability and prosperity. Together, in good times and in bad times, we are a living testament to what free trade and a rules-based multilateral trading system can offer."

     As a founding member of the WTO, Hong Kong has always been a staunch supporter of the rules-based multilateral trading system. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong participates in the WTO as a separate customs territory in the name of Hong Kong, China.        

Ends/Friday, June 27, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:20

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