Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan left the city early on 15 October for Bangkok, where he will join the Chinese delegation at the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG). The week-long gathering of finance ministers and central bankers is one of the biggest movements of government officials and private-sector leaders since the pandemic era. According to a Government announcement late on 14 October, Mr Chan will address a Hong Kong Monetary Authority round-table highlighting how the city’s capital markets can serve infrastructure projects in the Middle East and Central Asia. He will also speak at side events hosted by Bloomberg and the Atlantic Council to court multinationals seeking offshore-renminbi solutions. From a global-mobility perspective, Chan’s trip is notable for two reasons. First, it underscores that Hong Kong officials have resumed high-frequency travel schedules, a bellwether for the ease with which corporate executives can expect to enter and exit the SAR. Second, the meetings coincide with Thailand’s roll-out of a fast-track diplomatic-channel scheme at Suvarnabhumi Airport, which Hong Kong business-travellers accredited to official delegations will now be able to use – a small but practical facilitation. The Financial Secretary is due back in Hong Kong on 17 October. During his absence, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong is Acting FS – a reminder for companies that require formal sign-offs on tax-incentive letters or investment-promotion agreements.
Source: news.gov.hk
