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Monday, October 21, 2019, 03:01
Cultural exchanges can boost Hong Kong-Russian cooperation
By Lena Zhou
Monday, October 21, 2019, 03:01 By Lena Zhou

The story of the friendship between China and Russia started a new chapter this year. For 2019 is not only the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, but also the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Seventy years ago, the then-Soviet Union was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC. The relationship is critical to both countries’ development, and in the 70th year, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin jointly announced that they would upgrade the ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

Russia throughout its history has aimed to have warm water ports. This has been vital to its survival and development. Hong Kong, with its favorable business condition, is a “warm water port” to Russia

In this new era of strategic partnerships, both states need different platforms to enhance more in-depth and more comprehensive cooperation. In this sense, Hong Kong, as a special administrative region as well as one of the most internationalized cities of China, can play a role. 

Let’s start the exploration of Hong Kong’s role with the historical bonding between Hong Kong and Russia. The history of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hong Kong can be traced back to 1934, when Dmitry Ivanovich Uspensky arrived in southern China from his previous posting in Shanghai. Although Hong Kong is geographically distant from Russia — it is a nine-hour flight from Hong Kong to Moscow — Russians form a group of expatriates in Hong Kong. The Russian Club in Hong Kong was established in 1999 as a social networking group. The population is growing due to the expansion of economic ties between Hong Kong and Russia, as well as the visa-free arrangement to Hong Kong since 2009. According to former Russian Club president Mark Zavadisky: “Hong Kong is an exotic, upscale and trendy place for Russia’s younger generation. People are setting their sights on Asia, particularly Hong Kong.” 

In addition to being a trendy place for young Russians, Hong Kong’s international and well-established financial and professional service industry will be a valuable hub for Russian enterprises. In the past, London has always been the first choice as a financing platform for Russia. However, since 2013, Russian relations with Western countries have deteriorated due to the crisis in Ukraine, so Russia has chosen Hong Kong as a great alternative. The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing also facilitates cooperation by accepting Russia as an overseas jurisdiction in 2016. Russia signed a Comprehensive Double Tax Agreement with Hong Kong in 2016. Moreover, Russia and Hong Kong are also in the process of negotiating an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. The (Hong Kong) government is considering setting up a new Economic and Trade Office in Moscow. What is more, professional services and the international network of Hong Kong can also help Russian enterprises to expand in the future. Hong Kong’s positioning as an international arbitration center will also benefit Russian businesses.

Despite the advantages of Hong Kong, cooperation between Hong Kong and Russia is underdeveloped. In 2018, Russia was Hong Kong’s 24th-largest trading partner in merchandise trade in the world. In turn, our city ranked 65th among Russia’s trading partners in the world in 2017. For trade in services, the progress could be better. There are only two listed companies from Russia that have come here since 2010. In this regard, we found that the cultural gap may be an issue. 

Frankly speaking, Hong Kong people are not familiar with Russia. I led a small Hong Kong delegation to Moscow last month. Some of them have never been to Russia before. Their first impression is that Moscow is much more favorable than they have imagined. Their perception of Russia mainly came from Western movies. This misunderstanding may lead to hesitation and oversensitivity, which can be obstacles to cooperation. 

We believe that culture is the basis of everything. Other than the flow of goods and capital, we also emphasize the flow of culture. Just like my friends, they learned that Russians are serious, seldom smiling, when they communicate. They appreciated the Russian discipline when watching their dance performances. They enjoyed cultural bonding when they tasted “real” borscht, which is a typical soup found in Hong Kong’s restaurants. We believe that mutual understanding is crucial, and that’s why we set up the Hong Kong Russia Cultural Exchange Centre to promote this work. 

Russia throughout its history has aimed to have warm water ports. This has been vital to its survival and development. Hong Kong, with its favorable business condition, is a “warm water port” to Russia. Xi said China and Russia had embarked on a new historic journey in bilateral ties, which have gained fresh vigor and vitality and will have great prospects. Hong Kong can play a role in this new journey.

The author is secretary-general of the Hong Kong-Russia Cultural Exchange Centre Association and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.


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