Hong Kong: A major step was taken to boost foreign confidence in the city's return to normalcy, with the leader making the first overseas trip to Hong Kong for a key business summit, according to a former top government adviser. This was so despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bernard Chan, ex-coordinator of the Executive Council, expressed hope that the government could take the "next step" in loosening COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday after authorities recently allowed new travelers to visit places such as museums.

A 20-person delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu traveled to Bangkok earlier this month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong-Thailand Business Council, was one of them.

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To get the city to sign up for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the largest free-trade agreement in the world, Li had previously promised to step up efforts to garner regional support.

This was the chief executive's first international trip since the pandemic began two and a half years ago, making the business trip to Thailand particularly important. According to Chan, this signaled to the public and the outside world that Hong Kong was resuming normalcy.

Even though Hong Kong has received a lot of adverse press, Lee is well received when he meets world leaders and has a large audience for his talks.

The chief executive's visit was seen as a measure of how willing other countries would be to cooperate with him. Lee has been subject to US sanctions since 2020 as a result of his involvement in Hong Kong's adoption of a national security law imposed by Beijing.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions around the world, Chan said Hong Kong should also continue to foster ties with ASEAN grouping members, especially as mainland China also eyes the region.

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Ten years ago, Hong Kongers may not have known much about ASEAN, especially its economic development, but according to them, that is starting to change. “I would emphasize that there have been significant changes in the last ten years, but not because Hong Kong people are ready for ASEAN countries.

Relations between our country and ASEAN are growing stronger, according to Chan, who also noted that a significant portion of capital from the Chinese mainland moves through Hong Kong to the region.

"Why shouldn't Hong Kong give priority to ASEAN if our country does so?"

Chan, who is also the head of the M+ Museum, expressed hope that the government will continue to lower barriers to entry for visitors.

"Since amber-coded people will not remove their masks when visiting the museum, the risk of infection is significantly lower. The Vaccine Pass scheme's color-coded system, which restricts users to cities based on vaccination status and travel plans. Yes, a good first step, he said.

He also suggested that the cap of 85% capacity at the performance venues be removed. Chan claimed that the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ are top-notch establishments and expressed confidence that once pandemic restrictions are lifted, they will attract tourists from around the world.

As per the current "0+3" policy, visitors are given an amber health code during the three-day medical observation period, preventing them from entering certain establishments such as bars and restaurants throughout the city.

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Theme parks, museums, movie theaters and event venues as well as non-dining areas of hair salons and places of worship are among the places that have been accessible to visiting tourists since the recent easing of restrictions.

Arrivals will be given a blue code once medical monitoring is over, at which point their mobility will not be restricted.