Deputy Chief Secretary Celebrates Canada Day, Highlights Strong Hong Kong-Canada Ties and Future Opportunities

Speech by DCS at Canada Day Reception

Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Canada Day Reception today (June 20):

Consul General Reeves (Consul General of Canada to Hong Kong and Macao, Mr Charles Edwin Reeves), Deputy Commissioner Li Yongsheng (Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon! It is a great pleasure to be here with you, in honour of Canada Day, the country's 158th anniversary.

Today, we stand together to celebrate the deep and longstanding connections between the people of Canada and the Hong Kong SAR, who have forged strong ties from business and commerce to social, culture and family.

Less than two months ago, Canada held its federal election. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Canada on smoothly holding the election and returning its 24th Prime Minister. I am delighted to note that, just two weeks ago, Prime Minister Carney (Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Mark Carney) spoke on the phone with Premier Li Qiang of our country. Both leaders emphasised the enormous potential in China-Canada co-operation and their determination to reset bilateral ties. This augurs well for the bilateral relations between the two nations and between Canada and Hong Kong in the foreseeable future.

And there is so much to work together for - from safeguarding free trade and the multilateral trading system, to promoting sustainable development and building ties in any number of sectors. For this promising agenda, Hong Kong definitely has a role to play and contribute. Under the great concept and national policy of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong, as a Special Administrative Region of China, benefits from national programmes such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Another good example is the country according Hong Kong the position of the "eight centres" in the National 14th Five-year Plan, which has opened up a wide array of new opportunities for the relevant sectors in Hong Kong, such as finance, I&T, trade, aviation, logistics, arts and cultures and so on. The opportunities are not only for Hong Kong; they are also open to overseas companies, including Canadian enterprises, which use Hong Kong as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" between Mainland China and the rest of the world.

Canada has a strong presence in Hong Kong. There are about 100 Canadian firms maintaining offices in Hong Kong across a broad spectrum of sectors, of which 20 are financial institutions, and some - such as Manulife and Sun Life - have been doing business in the city for more than 100 years. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, with over 2 400 members, is also the largest Canadian Chamber outside Canada.

We thank the Canadian community and businesses for placing importance on Hong Kong. I am pleased to say that, in spite of the many changes in the external environment, Hong Kong has maintained its resilience and robustness. We still rank as the world's freest economy in the Economic Freedom of the World 2024 Annual Report; our IPO (initial public offering) market is bustling with the highest number of IPOs recorded worldwide last month, recording $76 billion raised from new share offerings so far in 2025; we are the largest offshore RMB business hub, handling 80 per cent of offshore RMB transactions; and just this week, we are ranked the world's third most competitive economy in the 2025 IMD (International Institute for Management Development) World Competitiveness Ranking. In short, Hong Kong remains a favourable place to do business.

In addition to doing businesses, it is heartening to see that our co-operation bears fruit in other areas such as arts and culture. Last September, our Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency organised a delegation to the Toronto International Film Festival, to promote location filming in Hong Kong; and six Hong Kong films were screened at the "Making Waves - Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema" touring film programme in Montreal in October. And in April this year, six Canadian films and co-productions were screened at the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

I look forward to making more waves, to more Hong Kong-Canadian co-operation - not only in film and the creative industries, but also in business and finance and every other sector, for our economies, our communities and our flourishing future.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for having me on this joyous occasion. Happy Canada Day!

Thank you very much.

Speech by DCS at Canada Day Reception Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by DCS at Canada Day Reception Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Notice on appointments to advisory and statutory bodies

A Government spokesman said today (January 12) that Mr Chan Kin-por recently sought approval from the Chief Executive to suspend his three public positions as appointed by the Chief Executive, until the completion of the work of the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po (Independent Committee). Mr Chan made this request to allow himself more time to dedicate to the work of the Independent Committee. After due consideration, the Chief Executive has agreed to and approved this request. The three public positions are: (1) Chairman of Independent Commission Against Corruption Advisory Committee on Corruption; (2) Non-executive Director of Urban Renewal Authority Board; and (3) Member of Honours and Non-official Justices of the Peace Selection Committee.

On December 12, 2025, the Government established the Independent Committee to examine the causes of the incident and related issues, ascertain the facts, and make recommendations on preventing similar tragedies and on improvement measures. The Independent Committee is chaired by Mr Justice David Lok, with Mr Chan Kin-por and Dr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen serving as members. The Independent Committee held its first meeting on December 19 last year and aims to complete its work within nine months of commencing operations.

Mr Chan Kin-por wrote earlier to the Chief Executive, expressing his wish to suspend the aforementioned three public positions until the Independent Committee completes its work, in order to dedicate more time and focus to the Independent Committee's tasks. The Chief Executive has agreed to and approved the request.

A Government spokesperson said that since the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, both the Government and the wider community have been highly concerned about the causes of the incident and the follow-up work. The scope of the Independent Committee's work is extensive, particularly concerning systemic issues related to bid-rigging and connected interests. Given the numerous issues involved and their complex nature, the Government will fully co-operate with the Independent Committee to ensure that it can complete its work and compile its report within nine months. The Government extends its gratitude to Mr Chan for accepting the appointment as a member of the Independent Committee and for his professional and conscientious approach to the Committee's work. When the Independent Committee's work is completed, the Government looks forward to Mr Chan's continuous contribution through his aforementioned public positions.

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