FS begins visit to Bangkok, Thailand (with photos/video)

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, today (October 15) to begin his visit, attending the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group and related events as a member of the Chinese delegation.

Mr Chan attended a high-level roundtable co-organised by the IMF and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) to explore how economies in the Middle East and Central Asia can better benefit from the vast opportunities offered by Hong Kong’s investment and financing markets. Heads of finance ministries and central banks from a number of countries in these regions took part. In his keynote speech, Mr Chan said that the increasingly close financial ties between Hong Kong and the Middle East and Central Asia help investors diversify their investments and enable enterprises to better raise capital for business development and manage risks. As these economies continue to develop and diversify, Hong Kong can support their growth in three areas: mobilising long-term capital, broadening currency options, and managing and sharing risks.

On mobilising long-term capital, Mr Chan pointed out that Hong Kong’s common law system under “one country, two systems”, free flow of capital, Linked Exchange Rate System, diverse investor base, and connectivity with both Mainland and international capital markets provide a solid foundation for investment. Hong Kong ranked first globally in funds raised through initial public offerings last year. In the first nine months of this year, funds raised reached nearly US$50 billion, more than double the amount in the same period last year and already exceeding last year’s full-year total. Hong Kong also supports industries in reducing emissions and transitioning to greener operations through green and sustainable finance. Infrastructure asset securitisation helps broaden the investor base and enables lenders to recycle capital into new projects.

On broadening currency options, Mr Chan said that Hong Kong is continuing to enhance its offshore Renminbi (RMB) ecosystem to facilitate financing, settlement and investment by enterprises and investors. This helps enterprises with close business ties with the Mainland reduce currency conversion risks and better align the currencies of their receipts, payments and borrowings. Hong Kong has the world’s largest offshore RMB liquidity pool, with deposits of around RMB1.3 trillion. With the support of the People’s Bank of China, the HKMA expanded the funding arrangements supporting RMB trade business to RMB500 billion in July, further meeting enterprises’ financing needs.

On managing and sharing risks, Mr Chan noted that Hong Kong has facilitated seven issuances of catastrophe bonds totalling around US$800 million since 2021. These bonds bring in capital market investors to share catastrophe risks, providing additional protection against major disasters and strengthening the resilience of businesses and communities.

Mr Chan invited international multilateral organisations, financial institutions and insurers to work together in innovative ways to promote more efficient capital mobilisation and risk management, enabling all parties to share in the benefits of economic development. He said that Hong Kong’s concentration of relevant professional expertise, abundant capital and extensive experience can help structure projects to make them bankable, fostering a virtuous cycle in which investment drives growth and growth creates investment opportunities.

The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue, and senior management members of three major banks in Hong Kong also attended the roundtable.

Mr Chan also called on the Chinese Ambassador to Thailand, Mr Zhang Jianwei, today to exchange views on Thailand’s economy, China-Thailand relations and the international landscape. Mr Chan gave an update on Hong Kong’s economy and an overview of the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030). The two sides also had in-depth exchanges on further strengthening economic and trade co-operation and people-to-people exchanges between Hong Kong and Thailand.

He also met with the Regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific of the International Finance Corporation, Mr Sarvesh Suri, for in-depth exchanges on strengthening co-operation in a number of areas. These included more effectively mobilising private capital to support sustainable development in infrastructure, education, healthcare and the digital economy in the region, and participating in the formulation of relevant international standards; strengthening financing support for trade, supply chains and small and medium-sized enterprises; using financial instruments such as catastrophe bonds to manage and share climate risks; and enhancing co-operation in talent training.

Mr Chan will continue his visit to Bangkok tomorrow (October 16), including attending the plenary session of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group.

CHP continues to implement multipronged strategy to curb spread of Mpox

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (October 16) recorded an imported Mpox (also known as Monkeypox) case. There has been a significant increase in Mpox cases in Hong Kong since August 2026. To curb the spread of Mpox, the CHP has adopted a multipronged approach, including conducting comprehensive epidemiological investigation and analysis to break transmission chains, enhancing collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to facilitate vaccination for individuals with high-risk exposure and increase their willingness to receive the Mpox vaccine, and strengthening public awareness and education efforts. The multipronged strategy has yielded initial effects. The number of confirmed cases recorded in the first 15 days of October has dropped significantly by more than 60 per cent compared to the same period last month (September), while the number of vaccination doses administered under the Mpox vaccination programme in the first two weeks of October has increased by more than 60 per cent compared to the same period last month. The CHP will continue to put in place various targeted prevention and control measures to safeguard public health.

Strengthening prevention

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Mpox vaccine can prevent infection and severe disease. Since late September, the CHP has set up an additional Mpox vaccination centre at the CHP Building, in addition to regular vaccination venues established by the Government. The CHP has also collaborated with three NGOs (namely Community Health Organisation for Intervention, Care and Empowerment; Hong Kong AIDS Foundation; and Hong Kong Christian Service) to provide outreach vaccination services during holidays and outside regular office hours, providing convenience and incentives to encourage individuals with high-risk contacts to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Along with the existing vaccination venues, the CHP has successfully administered the Mpox vaccine to approximately 650 high-risk individuals over the past month.

The DH’s Yau Ma Tei Integrated Treatment Centre (YMTITC) will also arrange an additional vaccination session (10am to 1pm) next Saturday (October 24). People with high-risk contact may call the YMTITC at 2195 6588 from Monday through Friday from 8.30am to 5pm to schedule an appointment. The vaccination venue is located on 7/F, Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Polyclinic, 145 Battery Street, Yau Ma Tei.

Vaccination provides a highly effective protective barrier. Studies show that receiving two doses of the Mpox vaccine reduces the risk of infection by 82 per cent, which significantly lowers the risk of transmission to sexual partners, and protects both the vaccinated individual and others. Local data also show that vaccinated patients are 87 per cent less likely to experience viral spread to other parts of the body. The CHP will continue to actively expand the number of Mpox vaccination venues and time slots to further reduce the risk of infection and transmission in the community.

At the same time, the CHP’s Mpox hotline (2125 2373) continues to provide health assessments and advice to high-risk individuals. The hotline will arrange individuals in need to get vaccinated inside the CHP. The hotline operates daily from 9am to 6pm.

Case details

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The newly reported imported case involves a 36-year-old man who developed a fever, sore throat and rash over various parts of his body (including genital area, trunk, hands and legs) on October 10. As his symptoms continued to worsen, he called the CHP’s Mpox hotline on October 13 and was arranged to receive isolation treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital on the same day. His condition is now stable. Upon laboratory testing by the CHP’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB), his clinical specimen tested positive for the Monkeypox virus. According to the information provided by the patient, he had high-risk sexual exposure outside Hong Kong during the incubation period. The CHP is continuing its epidemiological investigation of the case, and will report it to the World Health Organization.

Since 2022, Hong Kong has recorded 116 Mpox cases (91 local cases and 25 imported cases). All patients are males. Epidemiological investigations revealed that among the 23 cases recorded since August, all patients reported having engaged in high-risk sexual activities during the incubation period, including having sex with male strangers or multiple partners, and having sex without a condom. Most of them have not received the Mpox vaccinations. The CHP’s PHLSB conducted genetic analysis of the virus and found that some cases had identical genetic sequences, suggesting the existence of multiple transmission chains among men who have sex with men (MSM) population.

Among the cases recorded since August, patients commonly used specific dating apps to find casual male sexual partners. After testing positive, some patients were unable to contact their newly met sexual partners, which hindered the CHP’s ability to conduct effective contact tracing and implement corresponding prevention and control measures. In view of this, the CHP has increased its outreach on social media platforms to promote Mpox prevention and vaccination, and has collaborated with the operators of relevant dating apps to regularly push information about Mpox prevention and vaccination to all users in Hong Kong.

The CHP urges individuals who have engaged in high-risk sexual contact, particularly with male strangers, to remain vigilant and take appropriate personal protective measures, including receiving the Mpox vaccination and avoiding high-risk sexual contact, so as to lower the risk of infection. Members of the public should retain their sexual partners’ contact information to facilitate contact tracing when necessary.

The CHP consistently conducts comprehensive and in-depth epidemiological investigations into every Mpox case, striving to contact individuals who have had high-risk contact with the patients to break the transmission chains within specific population. If the CHP identifies a specific venue as posing a transmission risk, it advises the premises to close temporarily to safeguard public health. CHP staff have also visited various entertainment venues frequented by MSM, including saunas, to promote Mpox prevention. Recently, “Hutong” on Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, has temporarily closed as per the CHP’s advice. The CHP appeals once again to the public who visited “Hutong” on or after September 14, especially those who have had sexual contact with male strangers on the premises, to call the Mpox hotline as soon as possible. The CHP will then provide health assessments and advice. The CHP will also arrange persons with relevant symptoms to undergo testing.

More information on Mpox

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Mpox is not transmitted through respiratory droplets or aerosols in general, and transmission would not occur through social contact. The CHP reminds the public, especially those at higher risk of exposure, to take precautions and avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of being infected. They should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they experience relevant symptoms, including rash, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches. They should not engage in activities with others that may involve contact with skin rash or body fluids.

The DH has been providing Mpox vaccination services for high-risk groups, including individuals with high-risk sexual practices (such as having multiple sexual partners), sex workers, or having a history of sexually transmitted infection within the past 12 months.

For more details, please visit the CHP’s webpages on Mpox and the Mpox Vaccination Programme.