The Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong hosted a reception in Hong Kong yesterday to mark the 76th Independence Day of the State of Israel.
Hong Kong SAR Financial Secretary Mr Paul Chan and Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR Mr Pan Yundong graced the event with their presence as the guests of honour.
Photo (from left): Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR Mr Pan Yundong, Consul General of Israel Amir Lati, Hong Kong SAR Financial Secretary Mr Paul Chan, Chairman of the Incorporated Trustees of the Jewish Community of Hong Kong Mr Robert Dorfman
In his speech, Consul General of Israel in Hong Kong Mr Amir Lati said Israel’s independence day is a mark of the epic return of the Jewish people to our historic motherland that resulted in the creation of the modern State of Israel. It should be marked not least this year against the backdrop of the ongoing war against Hamas terrorist organisation following the biggest terrorist attack in Israel’s history on October 7 and the murder of more than 1200 Israelis, and in the light of the ongoing de-legitimization and anti-Semitism that we are now facing. He hopes that Israel will soon eradicate the terrorist forces and establish peaceful relations with moderate neighbours.
Mr Lati said Israel’s strong innovative ecosystem and spirit that nurtured the creation of the tech climate is very well encoded into the society and culture. Israel is now a home to more than 8,000 tech companies. In particular, the number of newly funded AI startups in Israel between 2013-2023 was 442, fourth in the world, first in per capita ratio. In fact, Mr Paul Chan has personally met with one of these prominent companies’ representative earlier this year.
Mr Chan said in his speech that the trade relation between Hong Kong and Israel is strong, as the bilateral merchandise trade increased to around US$4.7 billion last year, representing an increase of more than 38 per cent. He believes that Hong Kong and Israel share a similar innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, visible in such initiatives as the Hong Kong-Israel R&D Cooperation Programme, which encourages collaboration on product development and commercialisation in the global market.
Other dignitaries attending the reception were Chairman of the Incorporated Trustees of the Jewish Community of Hong Kong Mr Robert Dorfman, Consuls-General, prominent businessmen and members of the Israeli and Jewish community in Hong Kong.