Senior international envoys, politicians and experts will gather at the Hong Kong Forum on US-China Relations 2024 on Nov 15-16, aiming to foster dialogue between the two countries.
The two-day event marks the first major international forum on bilateral relations following the US presidential election, where preliminary totals show Republican candidate Donald Trump has won.
James Chau, president of the China-United States Exchange Foundation — a Hong Kong-based NGO that aims to encourage Sino-US dialogue — said at a Thursday news conference that the forum will delve into pressing questions about the global future, including the election’s impact on US-China relations.
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The forum will explore how the two nations can manage competition, find space for cooperation, and address shared challenges, potentially developing proposals to shape upcoming governmental policies, he said.
Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the United States, and Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, will deliver opening remarks.
Lu Kang, vice-minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will also address the opening session.
Representatives from the families of former US presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and George HW Bush will be present. Prominent business figures, including Taiwanese-Canadian business magnate Joseph Tsai Chung-hsin, will lead high-level discussions.
Speakers from Colombia, the Netherlands, the UK, Australia, Chile, India, and Indonesia will also contribute to the discussions.
Among the highlighted discussions will be Trump’s campaign pledge to escalate tariffs on Chinese goods by 60 percent upon assuming office on Jan 20. However, Chau, sharing his personal insights, said that Trump might reconsider, citing Trump’s business background and China’s influential market potential.
A multitude of US companies are already active on the Chinese mainland, where there are vast and expanding business opportunities, Chau said, adding that he is confident that Trump will seek ways to align the mutual interests of both countries.
As for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which has been caught in the middle of the complex Sino-US relationship, Chau acknowledged challenges but highlighted the city’s potential to redefine its position under the “one country, two systems” principle.
Beyond the Sino-US relationship, the forum will also address trade and economic relations, people-to-people exchanges, and climate change — which Chau described as a unique opportunity for Sino-US cooperation.
This year’s forum, themed “Reflection and Forecast”, will open to the media on Nov 15 with an opening ceremony, high-level plenaries, panel sessions, and roundtable discussions. The second day will feature closed-door, off-the-record meetings to enable participants to delve into complex issues in detail.
First held in 2019, the annual forum is a pivotal initiative of the China-United States Exchange Foundation, established in 2007 by Tung Chee-hwa, the Hong Kong SAR’s first chief executive and a former vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
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The forum serves as a platform that unites government officials, business leaders, and representatives from both nations and globally to address concerns regarding the welfare of humanity and the development of the bilateral relationship through dialogue and communication.
Chau pledged that the foundation remains dedicated to fostering collaboration with the United States and advancing educational and cultural initiatives, regardless of which political party holds power in the US.
The forum is co-organized by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a Beijing-based public policy think tank under China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
