Financial Secretary Paul Chan today attended events at the “Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026” and engaged in a number of Liaoning-Hong Kong exchanges.

He began his second day in Dalian by attending the annual meeting's opening ceremony, at which State Council Premier Li Qiang delivered a speech.

Mr Chan then attended a World Economic Forum discussion session, where he discussed the financial landscape with financial, political and business leaders from the Mainland and overseas.

At the session, the Financial Secretary said he did not consider the world to be forming a fragmented financial system. However, he added that the trend of jurisdictions using their own currencies for trade and investment, to diversify foreign exchange risks and reduce costs, would continue.

Mr Chan highlighted that China accounts for an important share of global trade, resulting in increasingly frequent use of the renminbi in cross-boundary payments and settlements, and that the international monetary system is therefore steadily moving towards greater diversification.

He said that emerging payment systems and cross-boundary infrastructure should be seen as complementary options that increase choice, enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen financial security and resilience, rather than as zero-sum substitutes.

On Hong Kong’s role, Mr Chan said that, despite uncertainties brought by geopolitics, overseas capital still attaches great importance to the Mainland’s innovation capabilities and attractive valuations, and institutional investors from Europe and the US remain important participants in Hong Kong’s initial public offering and secondary markets.

Mr Chan iterated that, while consolidating its status as an international financial centre, Hong Kong will actively promote fintech innovation, including tokenised assets, on the grounds of prudent regulation and safeguarding financial stability. This includes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government taking the lead in issuing tokenised bonds to expand the investor base, as well as promoting the development of green finance, and of gold and commodities trading.

Mr Chan also called on CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee Secretary Xu Kunlin, and Governor of Liaoning Province Wang Xinwei.

At the meeting, Mr Chan said he looked forward to deepening and expanding exchanges and co-operation with Liaoning in economic and trade, finance, innovation and technology, shipping and logistics.

In the afternoon, Mr Chan attended a promotion conference, organised by the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, to promote support for Mainland enterprises in going global.

The conference focused on how to leverage Hong Kong’s financial, trade, and innovation and technology strengths, as well as its unique advantage of being highly internationalised, to help Liaoning enterprises go global and expand their presence worldwide.

Member of the Party Leadership Group of the People’s Government of Liaoning Province and Vice Governor Bai Ying attended the event. It drew more than 180 leaders and representatives from the local political, business, innovation and technology sectors, as well as various institutions.

Speaking at the event, Mr Chan said that in recent years, the Hong Kong SAR Government has been vigorously developing innovation and technology, strengthening research and development as well as infrastructure, and promoting the integrated development of education, technology, talent and industries.

Through the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, he added, it supports hard technology and future industries by investing in small, early-stage and long-term projects. In addition, innovation and technology parks such as the Science Park and Cyberport, together with the Go Global Task Force, are committed to providing incubation, professional support and risk management services for innovative enterprises.

Mr Chan urged enterprises in Liaoning and the northeastern region to make use of Hong Kong’s international financial and innovation and technology platforms, as well as its talent advantages and professional strengths, to explore overseas markets.

At the event, representatives of a number of Mainland and overseas enterprises that have already established a presence in Hong Kong also shared testimony about leveraging Hong Kong's support in going global.

Representatives from Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Limited, the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation and other organisations spoke about the city’s overall advantages in terms of financing, innovation and technology ecosystem, and policy support.

Mr Chan also briefed business leaders on Hong Kong’s current situation and development strategies at a roundtable discussion.

In the afternoon, he attended a sharing session, organised by the Beijing Office of the Hong Kong SAR Government and its Liaoning Liaison Unit, for Hong Kong businesspeople and enterprises in Liaoning.

The day’s itinerary concluded with Mr Chan attending an exchange dinner organised by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Liaoning.