Vice-Premier He Lifeng vows support for Hong Kong as international financial centre
Beijing says it will introduce extra measures, as needed, to bolster Hong Kong as an international financial centre, with Vice-Premier He Lifeng pledging continued support in a speech on Tuesday. Delivering a keynote speech at the opening of the 2026 Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong via video link, He said finance was the most important leg of the city’s “four centres and…
Beijing announced additional measures to strengthen Hong Kong's position as an international financial hub, with Vice-Premier He Lifeng assuring ongoing support in a Tuesday speech. Delivering a keynote address at the 2026 Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, He emphasized finance as a critical component of the city's "four centres and one highland" strategy.
He highlighted the importance of leveraging the "one country, two systems" principle to foster development, likening "one country" to the "seed capital" and "two systems" to the "profit."
Under the city's first five-year plan, the Hong Kong government pledged to bolster its standing as a financial, maritime, and aviation center, as well as a hub for trade and innovation and technology. He Lifeng stressed that building an international financial center was a top priority for Hong Kong, as the sector plays an irreplaceable role in the city's high-quality development and represents shared expectations among the central government and other sectors.
The vice-premier offered four suggestions to support and safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. These included expanding the range of financial services, pursuing innovation in commodities, fintech, and green finance, integrating finance with scientific and technological advancements, trade and shipping, green development, and intellectual property protection.
He also called for deeper integration of finance with advances in the Northern Metropolis, the cultivation of emerging industries, and forward planning for future sectors.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and InvestHK co-hosted the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2026, which began on Monday and featured four new fintech initiatives led by the HKMA. These initiatives focus on advancing agentic artificial intelligence, quantum computing, faster 24/7 settlement for tokenized transactions, and expanding cross-border payment connectivity by linking Hong Kong's Faster Payment System with UnionPay International by year's end.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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