On January 26, the HKANC held its first in-person event this year - the Chinese New Year Luncheon featuring Dr. Rosanna Wong at the HL Peninsula in South San Francisco. Brian Rowbotham, our new chair, started the meeting and introduced Dr. Rosanna Wong, who is here in the Bay Area for a short visit from Hong Kong, and to join family members for the Lunar New Year.
Doctor Wong has a distinguished career in government with many appointments in education, housing, and social welfare programs. She was officially awarded the title “The Most Excellent order of the British Empire” or “Dame Wong” in 1997 for her services to the community. She is one of the few Hong Kong Government appointees that has been with the government since the handover through to the present time. Dr. Rosanna’s passion relates to social programs, which follows her getting her Ph.D. in Sociology from UC Davis. Prior to this, she attended Hong Kong University, and Toronto University obtaining her bachelor's and master’s degrees, and continued with post-graduate study at the London School of Economics where she is an Honorary Fellow.
During the luncheon, Dr. Wong gave everyone an update on Hong Kong’s ambitious growth plans and commented on the challenges ahead, both geopolitical and cultural as Hong Kong continues to adapt to the new cultural and political environment. For part of her presentation, she discussed how local and commercial laws continue, the political scene is one of adapting to being more connected with the government in Beijing, compared to the last 150 years, when the center of government authority was in London.
However, she emphasized that Hong Kong will never change from its roots of being the international gateway to Asia. Infrastructure and housing will be high on the agenda as the economy expands with the opening up of China. While Hong Kong itself is a relatively small area, the view ahead is to the “Greater Bay Area” beyond Central and Kowloon. A key to Hong Kong’s growth will be to develop transportation systems to move more people throughout the region and to develop long-term housing models for both the public and private sectors. Another key to Hong Kong’s growth will be to create an increasing talent bank of professionals, venture capital, and growth prospects to attract highly skilled entrepreneurs. Hong Kong and its people are resilient, hard-working, and enterprising, while the city maintains one of the highest living standards in the world and continues to be a great place to live and do business.
We were also pleased to have Ms. Jacko Tsang and Ms. Emily Ng at our meeting, representing the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco. Director Tsang also commented on the opportunities and growth in the Greater Bay Area now that China is again opening after Covid restrictions have been lifted. Hong Kong will return to Asia’s international financial center for the region.
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