Mrs. Regina Ip Leads Delegation to the United Kingdom
At the invitation of the Government of the United Kingdom and the British business sector, New People’s Party (NPP) Chairperson Mrs. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee led a delegation consisting of members of the New People’s Party’s "External Liaison Group" to London, United Kingdom, from 30 October to 8 November. Members of the visiting delegation included Mr. Adrian Ho, Central Committee Member of NPP and Member of the Legislative Council; Mr. Stephen Law, Executive Committee Member of NPP and Hong Kong Member of the National Committee of the CPPCC; and Ms. Jen Lau, Policy Director of NPP.
The visit to the UK was tightly-packed and enriching, with meetings held between the delegation and a representative from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United Kingdom, officials from the Government of the United Kingdom, think-tanks, representatives from the political and business sectors, and representatives from the media. In these meetings, the delegation introduced the various initiatives in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address, elaborated on the real situation in Hong Kong, shared about the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and discussed the newest amendments to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), enhancing British interlocutors’ understanding of Hong Kong, making the trip a fruitful experience.
After arriving in London on 31 October, the delegation first met with the 690th
Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir Charles Bowman, and the 696th Lord Mayor of the City of London, Mr. Alderman Alastair King.
On the same day, the delegation met with Minister Wang Qi from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United Kingdom. Afterwards, the delegation visited Ms. Catherine West, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
During the trip, Mrs. Ip also met with a senior official from the Department for Business and Trade. The delegation also visited the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. Mr. Gilford Law, Director-General of the London ETO, and Mr. York Ip, Deputy Director-General of the London ETO, provided Mrs. Ip with an overview of the work of the ETO.
This trip to the United Kingdom also featured meetings with two think tanks. The delegation first visited Chatham House and held a conversation with Ms. Bronwen Maria Maddox, Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House, Mr. Ben Bland, Director of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, and other representatives. In addition, the delegation met with The Great Britain-China Centre (GBCC), meeting with representatives including Sir Martin Davidson, Chair and Chief Executive of GBCC, and Ms. Merethe Macleod, Executive Director of GBCC.
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As for members of the media, the delegation met with senior editors and correspondents from British outlets including The Guardian and The Economist.
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Regarding exchanges with the business sector, the delegation held a lunch meeting with Mr. Martin Gilbert Barrow, former Director of Jardine Matheson, and met with Mr. Adam Keswick, Executive Director of Jardine Matheson. The delegation was invited to dinner hosted by The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), and conversed with several business executives, including Sir Sherard Louis Cowper-Coles, Chair of CBBC, and Peter Burnett, CEO of CBBC.
The delegation returned to Hong Kong on 8 November after a smooth visit, satisfied with the results of their trip to the UK. In the future, the New People’s Party’s "External Liaison Group" will continue to do more work to promote civil diplomacy, strengthening Hong Kong’s international ties.
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