Hong Kong’s unique strengths under the “one country, two systems” principle, its talent attraction policies and the support from the central government make the city an ideal destination for professionals to pursue their dreams, officials said on Tuesday.
They made their remarks at the inaugural Global Talent Summit · Hong Kong, a two-day event attracting over 1,000 participants from all over the world to exchange views on talent development. Many more participants have registered to attend online.
Speaking at the summit’s opening ceremony on Tuesday morning, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said talent is the primary driving force for economic development and competitiveness, and the special administrative region government has invested heavily in attracting, developing and retaining talent.
Thanks to the principle of “one country, two systems”, the city is the only place in the world that brings together global advantage and China advantage, which forms Hong Kong’s unique strengths including a world-class business environment, a simple and low tax system, a highly open and internationalized market as well as free flow of information, capital, goods and people, said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu
Thanks to the principle of “one country, two systems”, the city is the only place in the world that brings together global advantage and China advantage, which forms Hong Kong’s unique strengths including a world-class business environment, a simple and low tax system, a highly open and internationalized market as well as free flow of information, capital, goods and people, Lee said.
These advantages, underpinned by a sound legal system and robust financial industry, mean that talent can thrive in Asia’s world city, Lee noted. The city’s bilingual environment — where English and Chinese are official languages — and its diverse cultural background can also clear the communication barrier for newcomers, he said.
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As of April, the city had approved nearly 180,000 applicants under its various talent attraction programs, and over 120,000 of them had already come to Hong Kong, Lee noted.
He also highlighted the National Immigration Administration’s new arrangement for talent endorsements, saying the policy optimization will draw more Chinese mainland professionals to exchange in Hong Kong and reinforce the city’s role as the talent hub and gateway for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the whole nation.
In a keynote speech, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping said Hong Kong’s results in drawing talents prove the city is an ideal destination for global professionals to pursue their careers, and the central government fully supports Hong Kong in developing wider and deeper exchanges and cooperation with the international community.
Wang said that the nation’s pool of talent, with more than 80 million professional and technical personnel and over 240 million people with higher education qualifications, and its accomplishment in scientific development and patent registration, provide a solid foundation for supporting Hong Kong in building a new high ground for international talents.
The central government will continue to support the GBA to attract high-level innovative talents, enterprises and scientific research institutions from all over the world, so as to accelerate the GBA’s integration into the global innovation network, the minister said.
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After the opening session, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the government will step up publicity to attract more overseas talents, especially those from Southeast Asia and Europe.
Sun added that government officials will visit the two regions to target local talents and attract them to Hong Kong. The authorities will also do the best to assist talents’ settle into the city, he said.
