Hong Kong Celebrates Year of the Horse at Atlanta Spring Reception, Strengthening US Ties

2026-02-06 13:32 Last Updated At：14:03

New York ETO welcomes Year of the Horse in Atlanta

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (New York ETO) hosted its annual Spring Reception in Atlanta, the United States (US), on February 4 (Atlanta time) to welcome the Year of the Horse and reaffirm the strong and enduring ties between Hong Kong and Atlanta, as well as the state of Georgia.

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New York ETO welcomes Year of the Horse in Atlanta Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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New York ETO welcomes Year of the Horse in Atlanta Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

In her welcome remarks, the Director of New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho, highlighted the close economic, investment and trade relations between Hong Kong and the US. Hong Kong is home to around 1 550 American companies, while the value of Hong Kong's total exports to the US rose by 9.7 per cent in 2025. During the same period, the US recorded a substantial trade surplus of approximately US$26.15 billion for the year as of November 2025.

Noting that the Year of the Horse symbolises vitality and progress, Ms Ho said that she looked forward to deepening collaboration with Atlanta and the state of Georgia, especially in areas including fintech, logistics, aviation, education and cultural exchanges.

Cohosted by the New York ETO and the Hong Kong US Business Association of Atlanta, the reception was attended by nearly 300 guests from various sectors including academic, business, financial, innovative technology, think tanks, government and trade.

On February 5 (Atlanta time), Ms Ho met with Atlanta's institutional leaders to exchange views on the latest developments in Hong Kong and explore areas of mutual interest. They included the President and the Director of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, Ms Rickey Bevington and Ms Jackie Davis respectively; as well as Senior Advisor on China, the Director of Individual Giving, and Senior Program Associate of the Carter Center, Mr Liu Yawei, Mr Curtis Kohlhaas, and Mr Nick Zeller respectively. The Deputy Director of New York ETO, Ms Angela Jong; and the Director (New York & Midwest) of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Curtis Louie, also joined the meetings.

Secretary Sun Confident in Smooth Launch of $2 Flat Rate Transport Discount for Elderly

Remarks by SLW at media session (with photos/video)

The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, met the media today (April 3), after observing the implementation of the "$2 flat rate or 80 per cent discount" on the first day at Tiu Keng Leng Station Public Transport Interchange. Following are Mr Sun's remarks at the media session:

Reporter: How do you evaluate the first-day roll-out of the scheme, and how do you address the fact that some elderly are not comprehensively understanding the whole implementation?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Today, 3rd of April, is the date when the "$2 flat rate or 80 per cent discount" is officially launched. For minibuses and for buses, the launch time was midnight today. For the MTR, it started from its first train which departed the terminal at 5.30am this morning.

So far, based on our territory-wide promotion, and also my own personal contact with the elderly through my visit to Wong Tai Sin including a public market and a restaurant, most of them are familiar with the operation of the "$2 flat rate or 80 per cent discount". They know the operation is very straightforward, for any fare that is at $10 or below, they still just need to pay $2. For fare that is over $10, the elderly just bare 20 per cent of the cost, and the rest of the fare will be borne by the Government. I gave them an example, for a bus fare that charges an adult for $15, the elderly people with JoyYou card would only have to pay $3, i.e. 20 per cent of the fare.

So, apart from today, we are also going to step up our promotion through television, radio and posters which have been posted all around Hong Kong. Also, as you can see, in 75 spots in Hong Kong, we are stationing the ambassadors for a total of three weeks. They are in the spots to help answer questions about the "$2 flat rate or 80 per cent discount". Apart from that, we have had the support of district councillors, Care Team members, and also staff of our welfare NGOs (non-governmental organisations). They are using their own ways to explain the operation of the "$2 flat rate or 80 per cent discount". We are pretty confident that the scheme is now being launched smoothly, and for those who will be using the new arrangement, they know about the operation.

Thank you very much.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Hong Kong Celebrates Year of the Horse at Atlanta Spring Reception, Strengthening US Ties

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