CCG opens Hong Kong Committee Office in World-Wide House in Central
May 10 , 2023
On May 10, 2023, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) launched the new CCG Hong Kong Committee Office at World-Wide House in Hong Kong’s Central District. A symposium titled “The Greater Bay Area and China’s Modernization” was also held in conjunction with the opening, which was attended by many distinguished guests that shared their insights and views on current global trends.
As one of China’s important windows on the world, Hong Kong has always played a essential role in international exchange, cooperation, and promoting China’s openness. It is also hoped that the Greater Bay Area will become a leading region in China’s pursuit of modernization. As an international platform dedicated to facilitating global academic and policy cooperation and exchange for policy-makers, experts, scholars, and business leaders, the CCG Hong Kong Committee aims to leverage Hong Kong’s international advantages and talent resources to promote China’s development as it continues to globalize.
During the launch ceremony, CCG Secretary-General Mabel Lu Miao expressed here sincere gratitude to the experts and elite professionals in attendance. She noted that, since its establishment in 2017, the CCG Hong Kong Committee has organized multiple events and actively provided policy recommendations, adding that with the end of the pandemic and the positive development in multiple sectors, the CCG Hong Kong Committee’s offices will play an even more important role in this efforts. Hong Kong has a unique advantage of receiving support from the central government and being connected to the world, which fit well with CCG’s principles of promoting international, influential, and constructive dialogue. The launch of this new office is a landmark event for Chinese think tanks in Hong Kong and will send a positive signal.
Founder and President of CCG Dr. Henry Huiyao Wang expressed his great pleasure in seeing CCG’s return to Hong Kong after a three-year absence due to the pandemic as well as the official launch of the CCG Hong Kong Committee’s new offices in World-Wide House, located in middle of Hong Kong’s Central District. Hong Kong is an important gateway and platform for attracting global talent, and as one of the world’s top 100 think tanks and a leading non-governmental think tank in China, CCG hopes to strengthen cooperation with multiple sectors in Hong Kong and contribute to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a high-level talent hub while also further propelling China onto the world stage.
Mr. Antony Leung, Honorary Vice-Chairman of the CCG Hong Kong Committee, former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong and Chairman of Nan Fung Group, said that in the context of competition between major powers, private diplomacy is crucial. In the past, Hong Kong emphasized “gathering capital and talent”, of which the latter was particularly important, not in attracting people to live and work in Hong Kong, but more importantly to use Hong Kong’s geographic and institutional advantages to attract global professionals and think tanks, and improve the quality of education in Hong Kong. This gives CCG’s office in Hong Kong special significance and we hope CCG’s work will continue to receive broad support in the future.
Zhang Jun, Deputy Director of the Research Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong (LOCPG), said he was pleased to participate in the launching ceremony of CCG’s Hong Kong office. He noted that as a leading non-governmental think tank in China, CCG has been playing a leading role in research and the Liaison Office welcomes the CCG to continue to make use of its professional strengths as a think tank to provide suggestions and recommendations, and play an active role in jointly promoting the implementation of good recommendations and practical measures.
Lu Xiang, an international expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Director of the Research Department of the Hong Kong Institute of Chinese Studies (HKICS), pointed out that CASS has been working closely with CCG and has benefited from the advantages of CCG’s communication platform, especially during the epidemic. CCG has played an important role by continuing to build a platform for communication and exchange despite a range of difficulties. He also expressed his hope to enhance communication with CCG and have more interactions in the future.
Huang Dizhong, Special Assistant to the President of the China-United States Exchange Foundation, stated that think tanks can play a role in the production of ideas, talent pools, communication platforms and social education. Recognizing that there is still much room for improvement in the development of Chinese think tanks compared to those in the US, especially among non-governmental think tanks, he emphasized that the China-US Exchange Foundation has been a long-term supporter of CCG’s work, saying that CCG has done well in this difficult and challenging area, and that he looks forward to further development in the future.
Chen Zhi, President of Hong Kong Chu Hai College of Higher Education, felt that there was a general weakness in the field of international communication, while CCG has many years of experience and advantages in this area. He state that he looks forward to increasing learning and exchange with CCG in the future so that the story of Chinese culture, technology and other elements can be taken to the world stage and the world can hear China’s voice.
Guo Kaijie, Assistant Research Director and Director of Education and Youth Research at Our Hong Kong Foundation, stated that the launch of CCG’s Hong Kong office will help revitalize the think tank ecosystem in Hong Kong, which has long been a source of close collaboration and exchange between the Foundation and CCG emphasizing that it will attract the wider community to the think tank sector. Now in its ninth year, the Foundation hopes to further promote international development and looks forward to learning from CCG’s best practices and strengthening exchange and cooperation with CCG in the future.
Ma Xufei, Deputy Dean of the Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, congratulated CCG on the launch of its Hong Kong Office. He pointed out that this launch is not just an event, but represents Chinese think tank expanding outward. The development of Hong Kong is inseparable from the cultivation of international talent, and the Business School of The Chinese University of Hong Kong is home to many outstanding young scholars. He hopes to strengthen communication and cooperation with CCG in the future, and promote exchange between university students in Hong Kong and mainland of China.
Chris WH Chan, Associate Dean for the Asia Region at the Ivey Business School at Western University, said that the launch of CCG’s offices in Hong Kong is very meaningful, because Hong Kong is positioned internationally, and also currently it is very important to enhance soft power both for the Mainland and Hong Kong SAR. It is hoped that the CCG Hong Kong Committee Office will bring more Mainland stories to Hong Kong and help Hong Kong further understand the development and changes in the mainland.
In the subsequent symposium, participants discussed the unique advantages of Hong Kong in connecting the world and the role that think tanks can play in Hong Kong.
The following is a full list of attendees at the launch and symposium:
Henry Wang, CCG Founder and President
Antony Leung, Honorary Vice Chairman of the CCG Hong Kong Committee, former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong and Chairman of Nan Fung Group
Mabel Miao, Secretary-General of CCG the CCG Hong Kong Committee
Zhang Jun, Department at the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR
Huang Dizhong, Special Assistant to the President of the China-United States Exchange Foundation
Lu Xiang, Director of Research Department at Hong Kong Institute of Chinese Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Guo Kaijie, Assistant Research Director and Director of Education and Youth Research at Our Hong Kong Foundation
Ma Xufei, Deputy Dean of the Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chris WH Chan, Associate Dean for the Asia Region at the Ivey Business School at Western University
Chen Zhi, President of Hong Kong Chu Hai College
He Mei, Vice Chairman of CCG, Chairman of Wailian Group, Founder of China Youth Symphony Orchestra
Witman Hung JP, Executive Council Member of CCG Hong Kong Council, Co-founder of Zebras Ltd., Vice President of Hong Kong Association For the Promotion of Cooperation in Industry, University and Research Institute Limited
Li Siyan, Executive Director of Sterling Education Development Group, Co-founder and CEO of CinLearn Education
Wu Jing, Founder of Elites Talk
Benjamin Chiao, CCG Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Professor and Dean for Asia at the Paris School of Technology and Business
