Canadian Business Urged to “Act Now”

The head of Canada’s largest business organization, and one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award recipients, has urged Canadian businesses to “act now” to make a commitment to doing business with Hong Kong and China, while expressing concerns over Canada’s Pacific ports’ capacity to meet upcoming challenges from the Orient. 

In a keynote speech entitled “Hong Kong: The Gateway to Asia”, the President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Nancy Hughes Anthony, told political and business leaders attending a Parliament Hill breakfast meeting in Ottawa in April that given Hong Kong’s business-friendly environment, low taxes and excellent transportation links, Hong Kong is not only a platform for doing business in China, it “can also be used as a platform for doing business in Singapore, Vietnam and other markets in Asia.” 
She noted that while Mainland China “can conveniently and temptingly be served from Hong Kong, it is really all of Asia that is open to Canadian businesses from Hong Kong.” 

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of more than 170,000 businesses from all sectors of the economy and from all regions of Canada and is usually referred to as “the Voice of Canadian Business”. 

At the breakfast briefing, an annual event in the Canadian capital presented by the Ottawa Section of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association, with the support of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Canada, the former deputy minister and senior government advisor shared with participants her first-hand observations of Hong Kong’s flourishing marketplace. 

Ms Anthony told the participants that she was struck by the development of Hong Kong’s infrastructure and particularly its port, saying that “this development was particularly striking when contrasted with the efforts being made to develop our ports in Canada.” She warned that Canada’s Pacific ports were running into challenges in meeting its capacity and future growth needs. 

Speaking on Hong Kong advantages, Anthony encouraged Canadian companies, big and small, to take advantage of the opportunities that Hong Kong has to offer: a business-friendly environment where English is common and well-spoken, which offers a comfortable, reliable base for Canadian businesses to “get your feet wet” in China, particularly if their business is focused on the Southern China/Pearl River Delta area. 

Anthony also reminded Canadian companies to know their partners well in a tough and competitive business world, to be prepared with business plans and the resources to back them up and said that they must commit to be in Hong Kong for the long term, not just as a sight-seer. 

“Gradually, one may find the need to move to China Mainland as your presence there grows,” said Ms. Anthony. “But Hong Kong is a great gateway to the Chinese market, and boasts excellent expertise and facilities, and the Hong Kong market alone offers wonderful business opportunities.”

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