ExCo convenor: Geopolitical conference will foster ties, improve SAR’s image
A nongovernmental conference focused on geopolitics will take place next month in Hong Kong, with the aim of counteracting negative portrayals of the city and fostering constructive dialogues on global issues.
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the Hong Kong Executive Council convenor and a lawmaker who initiated the event, announced the conference details on Thursday.
The Global Prosperity Summit, scheduled for May 13-15, comes as a response to the rising geopolitical tensions affecting Hong Kong.
The summit, which is expected to have about 200 attendees, has invited global heavyweights to speak, including Nobel Prize laureate Roger Kornberg and Johns Hopkins University economics professor Steve Hanke.
READ MORE: Financial resilience driven by innovation
Diplomats, scholars, business leaders, and opinion influencers will gather to explore pressing challenges to global prosperity, such as climate change, globalization, technological cooperation, and major-power relations.
The summit will also feature a forum for Asian youth leaders to share their visions on global economic development, and a closed-door session on Hong Kong’s strategic geopolitical standing.
Ip said she hopes the gathering, the first of its kind in the city since the COVID-19 pandemic, will serve as a new channel for the world to understand Hong Kong’s socioeconomic environment, while also allowing the city to forge stronger international connections.
Ip underlined the unprecedented influence of geopolitical circumstances on Hong Kong’s ongoing development, including attacks and defamation from some Western media.
Against the backdrop of competitions between great powers and complex international situations, Ip emphasized the importance of promoting civil exchanges.
The summit, bringing together leaders with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, could facilitate communication and understanding between Hong Kong and the rest of the world, she said.
ALSO READ: HK seen finding new growth sources amid economic restructuring
Ip said she hopes to make the summit an annual event, with plans to expand the roster of experts to enlighten Hong Kong’s society on global trends. She said such efforts will help raise the public awareness of geopolitics, which is critical for the city’s future development.
Ip also encouraged local sectors to leverage the city’s international connectivity to make friends from all over the world, which can further boost the city’s role as a communication platform.
The summit is co-organized by the Hong Kong-based Savantas Policy Institute, led by Ip, and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, with a reception held on Tuesday to make an announcement for the event.
