Hong Kong’s John Lee calls trade offices ‘jewels’ under attack by West, vows to open more

Investors could also “take home” what they earned since they were not required to pay dividend or capital gains taxes, while affluent residents did not face any estate tax, Lee added.

“When we are in a propaganda war, then what people will do is they attack your jewels,” he told the Post in an exclusive interview.

“I will only make my ETOs stronger. They will cover wider areas. So we’ll have ETOs open in more places.”

The ETOs have come under the spotlight after British authorities charged a manager at one such office in London, alongside two other employees, in May for allegedly spying on behalf of Hong Kong.

Activists in London called for the ETO’s diplomatic immunity to be revoked, while petitions circulated widely on social media urging authorities to review diplomatic relations with Hong Kong.

The charges have been rejected by Hong Kong authorities as trumped-up, politically motivated allegations.

In February last year, two US lawmakers introduced a bill that could lead to the closure of Hong Kong’s overseas offices in Washington, New York and San Francisco.

The websites of the trade offices in the United Kingdom and the United States showed that most public events were trade and culture-related, without the engagement of local officials and politicians.

Asked if the government would have to restructure its ETOs to keep them running amid geopolitical tensions, Lee vowed to press on despite their increasingly difficult operating environment.

“It will be difficult because the other side has already started a different political campaign against Hong Kong,” he said.

“They will try to work against us. But we just have to work harder.”

Lee said he was confident the city could build business relations with foreign states and attract more talent.

Lee also vowed to build a stronger team to engage with the international community, while urging Hongkongers to join in by telling “good stories” overseas about their city.

He said he hoped to set up “as many [ETOs] as possible” but would need time to negotiate details.

Lee said he would prioritise establishing overseas offices as he wanted to “reap the biggest return in the shortest period of time”, starting with places that shared a common will to build stronger connections.

The city’s leader said he wanted to establish a greater presence in the Middle East market, while Asean countries were asking for more offices to be set up in the region.

Hong Kong currently has three ETOs in Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore to serve the Southeast Asia market. The city also has an ETO in Dubai.

The Hong Kong government is also considering setting up an ETO in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while InvestHK plans to set up a presence in Turkey and Egypt this year.