Canadian Forum: Hong Kong Link is Vital to China Success

The first ever national Canada-Hong Kong Business Forum was held in Ottawa in May, boasting an impressive array of participants, presentations and round table discussions. With the theme “Your Smart Link to China: HONG KONG", the forum was designed to assist small and medium Canadian enterprises interested in developing their China business. 

The event was opened by the Federal Minister of Industry, the Hon David Emerson; the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Canada) (HKETO) Director, Bassanio So; and the Regional Director (Americas) of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Stephen Wong. 

Held at the Ottawa Congress Centre, the forum aimed to provide a “smart link solution" to Canadian companies in charting their business strategy for China. “Many Canadian companies, especially those small and medium-sized companies, are still in the process of crafting their China strategy," said Mr So. “This is why we have today’s forum, telling people about business opportunities in China, the economic powerhouse leading the development in Asia."

In his address to some 350 attendees, Minister Emerson acknowledged that Canadians had been tentative about China, due to anxieties about how to do business there. He pointed out Hong Kong’s “enormous advantages" as a staging place for doing business with China. Hong Kong’s level of maturity, he said, “makes it a very comfortable place, with good infrastructure, good legal systems, good financial markets where Canadian companies can feel very comfortable and it’s a good opportunity for Canadian companies to get involved with the China market."

Minister Emerson urged Canadians to explore the China market and praised the forum as “the beginning of a whole new relationship with China and with Hong Kong."

The event was a fitting venue for the release of findings of a recent survey into Canadian business people’s views about Hong Kong as a trading and investment platform.

The survey, conducted by the Asia Pacific Foundation (Canada) (APF), found that Canadian companies continue to look to Hong Kong as a preferred conduit to the mainland market, citing Hong Kong’s ever-strengthening role as a thriving international financial and commercial centre.

Paul Irwin, Director of APF’s Asia Pacific Business Network, said that, “Canadian companies also recognized Hong Kong’s value-added role in accessing the lucrative China market. They view Hong Kong as an excellent regional base for their operations, as well as an important sourcing centre for goods from the Mainland China."

Irwin pointed to the advantages of working with a Hong Kong partner with in-depth knowledge of the Mainland markets, suppliers and regulations. And he listed some Canadian organizations which recently set up offices in Hong Kong, such as Stuart Energy and Luxell Technologies of Toronto, Quebec biotech company Millenia, Quebec manufacturer Canadian Buttons, and University of British Columbia.

“Hong Kong’s role as an entrepot for Canadian trade with mainland China remains secure," Irwin said. “Over half of the companies surveyed expected their investments in China will expand in the next two years."

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