Hong Kong trade office’s contributions to ties with UK mustn’t be forgotten

The history of Hong Kong’s overseas representations on trade and economic issues goes back to well before 1997

The positive impact of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London over the years should not be written off lightly

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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London has allowed for decades of bilateral exchanges between Hong Kong and the UK. Photo: Google Maps

Regina Ip

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is convenor of the Executive Council and chairwoman of the New People’s Party.

Published: 9:30am, 26 May 2024Updated: 12:31pm, 26 May 2024

The recent incident in the United Kingdom, in which an office manager and two other people connected with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in London were charged under the UK’s National Security Act of 2023, has cast an unusual pall of intrigue and mystery over the role of the ETO in London.

Hong Kong has 14 ETOs across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia. They were established in accordance with Article 156 of the Basic Law, which provides that “the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may, as necessary, establish official or semi-official economic and trade missions in foreign countries”. The history of Hong Kong’s overseas representations on trade and economic issues goes back a long time, well before becoming a special administrative region.

After the second world war, Hong Kong emerged as a powerhouse in textile and garment manufacturing. Following the communist takeover in 1949, textile manufacturers from mainland China brought capital, machinery and skills to Hong Kong, and soon became leading exporters of cotton yarn to Southeast Asia.