Hong Kong’s Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun Yuk-han, said on Saturday that the city’s ethnic minority communities can play an important role in building ties with countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Sun made the remarks in his opening address to about 300 young people at the Zubin Foundation’s Ethnically Diverse Youth Leadership Summit. “We have a locally grown talent [pool]. They speak the language, they know the culture … while they know so much about Hong Kong,” he told the audience. “So I think you do have a very important role to play in the years to come.”
Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative aims to improve trade and economic integration across multiple continents, and includes countries where Hong Kong’s ethnic minority groups trace their roots.
Excluding foreign domestic helpers, Hong Kong is home to more than 300,000 members of ethnic minorities, about 4.1 per cent of the total population, according to the 2021 census. Many with South Asian and Southeast Asian backgrounds have ties to the city spanning generations.
Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, Hong Kong’s commissioner for belt and road, said the trend of Hong Kong and mainland companies looking to expand overseas gave these communities a huge advantage. He said talent, alongside finance and trade, was a major obstacle for firms seeking to access foreign markets.
“They can’t find the right talent to help them access these markets,” Ho said. “[Ethnic minority] youth have a huge advantage, because your mindset is more culturally diverse – you have both your community advantage [and] the Hong Kong advantage.”
Ho also said that young members of ethnic minority groups had a greater role to play as the city attracts students and top talent from belt and road countries to its universities. He noted that many coming to study in Hong Kong faced challenges, including building local connections and finding jobs after graduating.
The summit also drew government officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs and community representatives. Shalini Mahtani, founder of the Zubin Foundation, said the event was designed to focus on opportunity and leadership. “You’re multilingual, you are truly globally connected across belt and road countries and beyond … and you are ambitious,” she told the audience.