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新聞稿，焦點
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新民黨 國情研習班 了解三中全會後最新國家佈局與香港機遇
新民黨 國情研習班 了解三中全會後最新國家佈局與香港機遇
日期︰2024 年 7 月 26 日
新民黨每年都會舉辦國情研習班，前往內地各地區之學院，為學員提供深入了解國家的機會，期望學員透過課程認識內地政府機構運作、制訂政策模式，以及國家發展面對的機遇與挑戰。
今年7月20日至26日，新民黨中央委員劉文杰及新民黨青年委員會主席周卓然率領一行27位學員，前往北京中國人民大學，展開以「說好香港故事、增強發展動能」為主題的課程，了解國家發展以及在三中全會後最新的國家佈局與香港機遇。
是次研習班課程內容包括「中國經濟形勢與區域結構調整」、「堅持和完善『一國兩制』推進祖國統一」、「中國人民大學校史」等。此外，學員亦前往北京雄安新區考察，參訪其啟動區綜合服務中心，了解新區規劃建設情況、智慧城市產業園專案建設情況等，課程內容動靜兼備，學員了解國家發展外，亦更了解對外溝通的情況，獲益良多。
新民黨中央委員劉文杰說：「這次的國情研習班以年輕人為主導，讓我們了解在三中全會後，最新的國家佈局與香港機遇。在課堂中，我們了解到中國經濟發展的最新形勢，同時深入察悉香港如何在國家的發展佈局中發揮其獨特優勢。」
新民黨青年委員會主席周卓然表示：「在這七天的課堂中，我們深入學習了習近平新時代中國特色社會主義思想，了解國家的發展戰略和政策，這不僅是我們個人成長的機會，更是我們為國家建設作出貢獻的契機。作為新民黨一員，我們肩負推動香港發展的重要使命，為社會和國家的發展貢獻自己的力量。」
新民黨副主席、立法會議員容海恩今天（26日）親赴中國人民大學出席研習班結業禮，勉勵學員把握學習所得，貢獻社會及國家，「說好香港故事」。
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CEPA's further liberalizations open doors for HK
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Regina Ip says residents must work hard and innovate to tap into mainland's vast services market
On Oct 9, when a financial frenzy gripped Hong Kong's roller-coaster stock market, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government brought happy tidings of long-lasting impact to the real economy. The good news was that the Ministry of Commerce had agreed to make further amendments to Hong Kong's trade-in-services agreement with the Chinese mainland. The amendments would bring real benefits to Hong Kong's service industries through further opening-up of a number of important mainland service sectors to Hong Kong.
The Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services, as it is formally called, was signed on Oct 9, witnessed by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and senior central government officials.
The CEPA is a free trade agreement concluded between the mainland and Hong Kong in June 2003, as part of the mainland's effort to boost the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's then-sagging, post-epidemic economy. Under this agreement, access to 18 service sectors on the mainland was liberalized.
As Hong Kong is a predominantly service-oriented economy, greater benefits would accrue from opening up more mainland service sectors. The HKSAR sought a trade-in-services arrangement with the mainland, which was signed in November 2015, and implemented in June 2016.
In response to continued requests from Hong Kong for more liberalization, agreement was reached in 2019 to amend the trade-in-services agreement and add new liberalization measures. On the 20th anniversary of the signing of the CEPA in June 2023, the mainland had fully or partially opened up 153, or 96 percent, of its 160 service sectors to Hong Kong.
In spite of such progress, Hong Kong's service providers have complained that "the big door has opened; but small doors haven't". By that, they mean restrictions continued to apply in many sectors, such as construction and related-engineering services, which require service providers to have acquired three years of operating experience before they could commence service provision.
Another example is the film and TV industries, where Hong Kong has an early lead and considerable international recognition. Entry into the mainland's market was hampered by restrictions on investment and the number of Hong Kong-origin actors or creative personnel allowed to take part in the production.
The latest set of amendments removed restrictions in a number of service sectors where Hong Kong has a competitive edge — namely, construction and related engineering services, film services, television services, tourism services, financial services, and telecommunication services.
The three-year local operating requirement for construction and related engineering services will be removed when the amendments enter into force on March 1, 2025.
Hong Kong's film industry will be able to invest in enterprises engaged in film production on the mainland; and qualified film service providers will be able to distribute imported buyout Hong Kong movies on the mainland. As for the television industry, the quantitative restriction on Hong Kong residents participating as principal creative personnel in online television dramas, a fast-growing industry on the mainland, will be removed.
The market access improvements in the tourism and financial services sectors are significant. To promote multidestination tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, measures will be introduced to facilitate the entry of foreign group tours to the whole of Guangdong province through more control points in Hong Kong. Mainland visitors participating in international cruise itineraries will be able to make permit-free transit in Hong Kong. This will enable more cruise ships operating from mainland ports-of-call to call at Hong Kong.
The measures facilitating the entry of Hong Kong's financial services into the mainland market have been long sought after. The $2 billion requirement for Hong Kong financial institutions investing in shares of insurance companies will be removed. Foreign bank branches established in Hong Kong will be able to conduct bank card services on the mainland. Consideration will be given to extending the scope of eligible products under the "mutual market access" program by including new products such as real estate investment trusts. Continuous improvements will be made to various mainland-Hong Kong "Connect" schemes to enhance connectivity of the capital markets of the mainland and Hong Kong, and to reinforce Hong Kong's status as a global financial center and offshore renminbi business center.
Hong Kong's telecommunication service providers will also get a slice of the mainland market. They will be allowed to distribute in the mainland telephone service cards that can be used globally but cannot be activated on the mainland.
In addition to expanding market access, the amendments bring an innovative breakthrough in allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises on the mainland to adopt Hong Kong law and to choose Hong Kong or Macao as the seat of arbitration should such need arise. Such unprecedented measures will promote the adoption of the common law in commercial areas on the mainland, and enhance Hong Kong's importance as a regional arbitration center.
The business community warmly welcomed these improvement measures. Immediate action was taken by many foreign chambers of commerce to include details in their websites or newsletters.
In 2022, trade in services between the mainland and Hong Kong amounted to HK$306.2 billion ($39.41 billion), accounting for 28 percent of Hong Kong's trade-in-services trade. The amendments will not only be beneficial to both mainland companies and Hong Kong enterprises, but also represent another step up in the modernization of mainland China's service industries, drawing on Hong Kong's experience.
To bolster Hong Kong's sluggish economy, many in Hong Kong have pressed for quick fixes like increasing the amount of duty-free goods that mainland visitors can bring home, or allowing those entering under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme to spend more on property.
Quick fixes have been implemented before, the most prominent being the rapid expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme, which opened the floodgates for mass tourism from mainland China. Such programs did help Hong Kong achieve a fast turnaround, but they skewed the local market, and took away Hong Kong service providers' incentives to innovate and diversify. Now, many Hong Kong service providers face a rude awakening that they are being left behind.
The amendments provide a framework for Hong Kong service providers to achieve greater access to the mainland's market. But nothing is a given. Hong Kong people must work hard and innovate to ride the next wave of ascendance of the Chinese mainland's vast services market. Or they will be left behind.
The market access improvements in the tourism and financial services sectors are significant. To promote multidestination tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, measures will be introduced to facilitate the entry of foreign group tours to the whole of Guangdong province through more control points in Hong Kong.
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香港應爭取舉辦「一帶一路」運動會
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7月17日，新民黨會見行政長官李家超，遞交《施政報告》建議書，我特別向行政長官提議，特區政府應向中央政府爭取，讓香港聯同其他粵港澳大灣區城市，在大灣區舉辦「一帶一路」運動會。我認為這建議對國家、對大灣區，以至對香港，都有多方面好處，非常值得特區政府推進。
「一帶一路」倡議是中國提出的，2013年9月和10月，國家主席習近平先後在哈薩克及印尼宣布推動「絲綢之路經濟帶」及「二十一世紀海上絲綢之路」。推進發展11年，除了興建基建、發展產業、提振經濟、鞏固法律等方面，開拓體育發展亦是必要的。
國家在2019年發布的《體育強國建設綱要》中已強調，要「構建體育對外交往新格局，共建『一帶一路』體育發展行動計劃」；今年7月，「三中全會」《中共中央關於進一步全面深化改革 推進中國式現代化的決定》更提出要「完善推進高質量共建『一帶一路』機制」、「完善陸海天網一體化布局，構建『一帶一路』立體互聯互通網絡。」我認為舉辦「一帶一路」運動會能加強「一帶一路」列國之間的交流，促進世界大同，是對上述戰略目標的有效實踐。
香港一直推動體育「五化」，包括普及化、精英化、盛事化、專業化和產業化，「一帶一路」運動會當然是體壇盛事，並且能為體育產業化作出巨大貢獻。須知道體育競技不單止有運動員，還有專項教練、體能教練、心理輔導、體育醫療、器材及用品、服裝品牌，以至法律與訟裁等等，舉辦大型運動會能壯大運動產業的發展，讓年輕人看到更多出路，經濟效益也會隨之而至。
提到經濟效益，相信沒有人會漠視體育經濟的創收。美國NBA在2022/23年賽季的贊助收入高達16.6億美元歷史新高。在內地，國家隊多位金牌運動員在巴黎奧運後推出的廣告代言和雜誌封面多不勝數。孫穎莎代言的品牌護膚品在開售十分鐘便突破千萬人民幣銷售額，勝過內娛頂流。即使不是簽約代言，與他們有關的周邊商品也會賣個盆滿缽滿，淘寶在8月份發布了《2024巴黎奧運同款帶貨力榜》，全紅嬋、鄭欽文及孫穎莎便分列「運動員帶貨力」的頭3位。
香港過去舉辦的體壇盛事也帶來門票、廣告，以至旅遊、餐飲、酒吧等周邊豐厚的經濟效益。例如每年的香港國際七人欖球賽便吸引數以萬計的海外球迷來港，平均每年帶來約4億元收入。今年3月在香港舉辦的LIV Golf職業巡迴賽的總賽事獎金2500萬美元（約1.95億港元），為特區政府帶來3000萬元稅收。巴奧期間有不少熱門賽事在黃金時間舉行，香港的酒吧生意增加約兩成。
可以預料，若香港舉辦「一帶一路」運動會，會吸引大量相關人員及遊客來港，屆時特區政府可推出一系列運動旅遊路線、餐飲及周邊產品，大力推動體育旅遊，擴闊經濟收益。這也是國家在2017年推出的《「一帶一路」體育旅遊發展行動方案》所強調「外引內聯」、「盤活體育資源」的實踐目標。
當然，要舉辦規模這麼大的綜合型運動會，籌備必然經年，不會一蹴而就。目前看來，2025年有全運會、2026年有亞運會，未必是理想年份；2027年或者是適合的契機。再者，若短期內未能舉辦整全的「一帶一路」運動會，也可以在香港舉辦個別運動項目的「一帶一路」聯賽，例如劍擊、馬術等，來個先行先試。
總結而言，在大灣區舉辦「一帶一路」運動會，能提升「一帶一路」的形象，提高大灣區的國際知名度，開拓香港體育旅遊經濟新格局，一舉多得，特區政府應盡快主動向中央政府爭取，以得先機。
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駐美經貿辦各有不同功能 / The economic and trade offices in the U.S. have different functions
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香港特區政府在美國設有3 個經濟貿易辦事處，分別位於華盛頓、紐約和三藩市。據知，除駐華盛頓經貿辦外，其他駐美經貿辦均設有招商引才專組或投資推廣組。投資推廣組成立多年，而招商引才專組是本屆特區政府根據「搶人才」、「搶企業」的方針設立的。那麼，為何華盛頓經貿辦沒有設立這些小組？
華盛頓是美國首都，美國聯邦政府、美國國會、最高法院、聯儲局，以及大使館、律師行和說客公司（lobbyists）等都在華盛頓運作，招商引才專組難以有效發揮作用。其次，華盛頓辦事處主要與政府打交道，即所謂的「G2G」，而非企業間的聯絡「B2B」，這也是其與貿發局辦事處的主要區別。貿發局的辦事處主要與企業打交道屬「B2B」，不享有政府辦事處的特權與豁免。
選擇設立經貿辦的地點需要考慮幾個因素，例如考慮該地區的功能及有沒有大量港人聚集等。紐約辦事處不僅負責紐約事務，還要兼顧美國東岸除華盛頓以外的工作，例如需加強與美國主流傳媒及商界溝通。美國東岸各校林立，如波士頓和費城便吸引大批香港學生求學。此外，紐約擁有豐富的文化設施，如博物館和表演中心等，同時也是國際傳媒中心，例如《紐約時報》的總部便是設在紐約。三藩市則是重要的財經中心、金融中心，靠近科技重鎮矽谷，也是許多港人的聚集地，對促進香港與加州及華盛頓州的政府科創企業及大學交流可以發揮作用。
香港的政務官職系與一個國家的外交部性質不同，政務官沒有義務到外地工作，因此不少政務官因家庭理由或對涉外工作缺乏興趣，而對調派外地，特別是遙遠的北美洲卻步。試想一屆任期通常3 年，調往外地可能影響配偶工作及子女的教育安排。因此，不少政務官都不熱中調派外地工作。
The economic and trade offices in the U.S. have different functions
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has established 3 economic and trade offices in the United States, located in Washington, New York, and San Francisco. It is known that apart from the economic and trade office in Washington, the other economic and trade offices in the U.S. have dedicated teams for investment promotion or talent attraction. The investment promotion teams have been established for many years, while the talent attraction teams were set up by the current SAR government based on the policy of "attracting talent" and "attracting enterprises." So why hasn't the economic and trade office in Washington set up these teams?
Washington is the capital of the United States, where the federal government, the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court, the Federal Reserve, embassies, law firms, and lobbyists all operate. It is difficult for the talent attraction team to be effectively utilized in Washington. Additionally, the Washington office primarily deals with government-to-government (G2G) interactions, rather than business-to-business (B2B) interactions, which is the main distinction between it and the Trade Development Council office. The Trade Development Council's offices mainly engage with businesses in a B2B capacity and do not enjoy the privileges and exemptions of government offices.
Several factors need to be considered when choosing the location for setting up economic and trade offices, such as the functions of the region and whether there is a large concentration of Hong Kong people. The New York office is responsible not only for affairs in New York but also for work on the East Coast of the United States outside of Washington, such as strengthening communication with mainstream U.S. media and the business community. The East Coast of the United States boasts numerous prestigious schools, attracting many Hong Kong students for education, such as in Boston and Philadelphia. Moreover, New York has rich cultural facilities like museums and performance centers and is an international media hub, with the headquarters of The New York Times located there. San Francisco is a significant financial and economic center, close to the tech hub of Silicon Valley, and a gathering place for many Hong Kong people. It can play a role in promoting exchanges between Hong Kong and government, tech startups, and universities in California and Washington state.
The nature of the civil service officer system in Hong Kong differs from that of a country's foreign affairs ministry. Civil service officers are not obligated to work overseas, so many officers are hesitant to be posted abroad, especially to a distant place like North America, due to family reasons or lack of interest in foreign-related work. Considering a typical term of 3 years, being posted abroad may impact a spouse's job and children's education arrangements. Therefore, many civil service officers are not enthusiastic about being posted overseas.
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Regina Ip says residents must work hard and innovate to tap into mainland's vast services market
On Oct 9, when a financial frenzy gripped Hong Kong's roller-coaster stock market, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government brought happy tidings of long-lasting impact to the real economy. The good news was that the Ministry of Commerce had agreed to make further amendments to Hong Kong's trade-in-services agreement with the Chinese mainland. The amendments would bring real benefits to Hong Kong's service industries through further opening-up of a number of important mainland service sectors to Hong Kong.
The Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services, as it is formally called, was signed on Oct 9, witnessed by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and senior central government officials.
The CEPA is a free trade agreement concluded between the mainland and Hong Kong in June 2003, as part of the mainland's effort to boost the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's then-sagging, post-epidemic economy. Under this agreement, access to 18 service sectors on the mainland was liberalized.
As Hong Kong is a predominantly service-oriented economy, greater benefits would accrue from opening up more mainland service sectors. The HKSAR sought a trade-in-services arrangement with the mainland, which was signed in November 2015, and implemented in June 2016.
In response to continued requests from Hong Kong for more liberalization, agreement was reached in 2019 to amend the trade-in-services agreement and add new liberalization measures. On the 20th anniversary of the signing of the CEPA in June 2023, the mainland had fully or partially opened up 153, or 96 percent, of its 160 service sectors to Hong Kong.
In spite of such progress, Hong Kong's service providers have complained that "the big door has opened; but small doors haven't". By that, they mean restrictions continued to apply in many sectors, such as construction and related-engineering services, which require service providers to have acquired three years of operating experience before they could commence service provision.
Another example is the film and TV industries, where Hong Kong has an early lead and considerable international recognition. Entry into the mainland's market was hampered by restrictions on investment and the number of Hong Kong-origin actors or creative personnel allowed to take part in the production.
The latest set of amendments removed restrictions in a number of service sectors where Hong Kong has a competitive edge — namely, construction and related engineering services, film services, television services, tourism services, financial services, and telecommunication services.
The three-year local operating requirement for construction and related engineering services will be removed when the amendments enter into force on March 1, 2025.
Hong Kong's film industry will be able to invest in enterprises engaged in film production on the mainland; and qualified film service providers will be able to distribute imported buyout Hong Kong movies on the mainland. As for the television industry, the quantitative restriction on Hong Kong residents participating as principal creative personnel in online television dramas, a fast-growing industry on the mainland, will be removed.
The market access improvements in the tourism and financial services sectors are significant. To promote multidestination tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, measures will be introduced to facilitate the entry of foreign group tours to the whole of Guangdong province through more control points in Hong Kong. Mainland visitors participating in international cruise itineraries will be able to make permit-free transit in Hong Kong. This will enable more cruise ships operating from mainland ports-of-call to call at Hong Kong.
The measures facilitating the entry of Hong Kong's financial services into the mainland market have been long sought after. The $2 billion requirement for Hong Kong financial institutions investing in shares of insurance companies will be removed. Foreign bank branches established in Hong Kong will be able to conduct bank card services on the mainland. Consideration will be given to extending the scope of eligible products under the "mutual market access" program by including new products such as real estate investment trusts. Continuous improvements will be made to various mainland-Hong Kong "Connect" schemes to enhance connectivity of the capital markets of the mainland and Hong Kong, and to reinforce Hong Kong's status as a global financial center and offshore renminbi business center.
Hong Kong's telecommunication service providers will also get a slice of the mainland market. They will be allowed to distribute in the mainland telephone service cards that can be used globally but cannot be activated on the mainland.
In addition to expanding market access, the amendments bring an innovative breakthrough in allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises on the mainland to adopt Hong Kong law and to choose Hong Kong or Macao as the seat of arbitration should such need arise. Such unprecedented measures will promote the adoption of the common law in commercial areas on the mainland, and enhance Hong Kong's importance as a regional arbitration center.
The business community warmly welcomed these improvement measures. Immediate action was taken by many foreign chambers of commerce to include details in their websites or newsletters.
In 2022, trade in services between the mainland and Hong Kong amounted to HK$306.2 billion ($39.41 billion), accounting for 28 percent of Hong Kong's trade-in-services trade. The amendments will not only be beneficial to both mainland companies and Hong Kong enterprises, but also represent another step up in the modernization of mainland China's service industries, drawing on Hong Kong's experience.
To bolster Hong Kong's sluggish economy, many in Hong Kong have pressed for quick fixes like increasing the amount of duty-free goods that mainland visitors can bring home, or allowing those entering under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme to spend more on property.
Quick fixes have been implemented before, the most prominent being the rapid expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme, which opened the floodgates for mass tourism from mainland China. Such programs did help Hong Kong achieve a fast turnaround, but they skewed the local market, and took away Hong Kong service providers' incentives to innovate and diversify. Now, many Hong Kong service providers face a rude awakening that they are being left behind.
The amendments provide a framework for Hong Kong service providers to achieve greater access to the mainland's market. But nothing is a given. Hong Kong people must work hard and innovate to ride the next wave of ascendance of the Chinese mainland's vast services market. Or they will be left behind.
The market access improvements in the tourism and financial services sectors are significant. To promote multidestination tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, measures will be introduced to facilitate the entry of foreign group tours to the whole of Guangdong province through more control points in Hong Kong.
7月17日，新民黨會見行政長官李家超，遞交《施政報告》建議書，我特別向行政長官提議，特區政府應向中央政府爭取，讓香港聯同其他粵港澳大灣區城市，在大灣區舉辦「一帶一路」運動會。我認為這建議對國家、對大灣區，以至對香港，都有多方面好處，非常值得特區政府推進。
「一帶一路」倡議是中國提出的，2013年9月和10月，國家主席習近平先後在哈薩克及印尼宣布推動「絲綢之路經濟帶」及「二十一世紀海上絲綢之路」。推進發展11年，除了興建基建、發展產業、提振經濟、鞏固法律等方面，開拓體育發展亦是必要的。
國家在2019年發布的《體育強國建設綱要》中已強調，要「構建體育對外交往新格局，共建『一帶一路』體育發展行動計劃」；今年7月，「三中全會」《中共中央關於進一步全面深化改革 推進中國式現代化的決定》更提出要「完善推進高質量共建『一帶一路』機制」、「完善陸海天網一體化布局，構建『一帶一路』立體互聯互通網絡。」我認為舉辦「一帶一路」運動會能加強「一帶一路」列國之間的交流，促進世界大同，是對上述戰略目標的有效實踐。
香港一直推動體育「五化」，包括普及化、精英化、盛事化、專業化和產業化，「一帶一路」運動會當然是體壇盛事，並且能為體育產業化作出巨大貢獻。須知道體育競技不單止有運動員，還有專項教練、體能教練、心理輔導、體育醫療、器材及用品、服裝品牌，以至法律與訟裁等等，舉辦大型運動會能壯大運動產業的發展，讓年輕人看到更多出路，經濟效益也會隨之而至。
提到經濟效益，相信沒有人會漠視體育經濟的創收。美國NBA在2022/23年賽季的贊助收入高達16.6億美元歷史新高。在內地，國家隊多位金牌運動員在巴黎奧運後推出的廣告代言和雜誌封面多不勝數。孫穎莎代言的品牌護膚品在開售十分鐘便突破千萬人民幣銷售額，勝過內娛頂流。即使不是簽約代言，與他們有關的周邊商品也會賣個盆滿缽滿，淘寶在8月份發布了《2024巴黎奧運同款帶貨力榜》，全紅嬋、鄭欽文及孫穎莎便分列「運動員帶貨力」的頭3位。
香港過去舉辦的體壇盛事也帶來門票、廣告，以至旅遊、餐飲、酒吧等周邊豐厚的經濟效益。例如每年的香港國際七人欖球賽便吸引數以萬計的海外球迷來港，平均每年帶來約4億元收入。今年3月在香港舉辦的LIV Golf職業巡迴賽的總賽事獎金2500萬美元（約1.95億港元），為特區政府帶來3000萬元稅收。巴奧期間有不少熱門賽事在黃金時間舉行，香港的酒吧生意增加約兩成。
可以預料，若香港舉辦「一帶一路」運動會，會吸引大量相關人員及遊客來港，屆時特區政府可推出一系列運動旅遊路線、餐飲及周邊產品，大力推動體育旅遊，擴闊經濟收益。這也是國家在2017年推出的《「一帶一路」體育旅遊發展行動方案》所強調「外引內聯」、「盤活體育資源」的實踐目標。
當然，要舉辦規模這麼大的綜合型運動會，籌備必然經年，不會一蹴而就。目前看來，2025年有全運會、2026年有亞運會，未必是理想年份；2027年或者是適合的契機。再者，若短期內未能舉辦整全的「一帶一路」運動會，也可以在香港舉辦個別運動項目的「一帶一路」聯賽，例如劍擊、馬術等，來個先行先試。
總結而言，在大灣區舉辦「一帶一路」運動會，能提升「一帶一路」的形象，提高大灣區的國際知名度，開拓香港體育旅遊經濟新格局，一舉多得，特區政府應盡快主動向中央政府爭取，以得先機。
香港特區政府在美國設有3 個經濟貿易辦事處，分別位於華盛頓、紐約和三藩市。據知，除駐華盛頓經貿辦外，其他駐美經貿辦均設有招商引才專組或投資推廣組。投資推廣組成立多年，而招商引才專組是本屆特區政府根據「搶人才」、「搶企業」的方針設立的。那麼，為何華盛頓經貿辦沒有設立這些小組？
華盛頓是美國首都，美國聯邦政府、美國國會、最高法院、聯儲局，以及大使館、律師行和說客公司（lobbyists）等都在華盛頓運作，招商引才專組難以有效發揮作用。其次，華盛頓辦事處主要與政府打交道，即所謂的「G2G」，而非企業間的聯絡「B2B」，這也是其與貿發局辦事處的主要區別。貿發局的辦事處主要與企業打交道屬「B2B」，不享有政府辦事處的特權與豁免。
選擇設立經貿辦的地點需要考慮幾個因素，例如考慮該地區的功能及有沒有大量港人聚集等。紐約辦事處不僅負責紐約事務，還要兼顧美國東岸除華盛頓以外的工作，例如需加強與美國主流傳媒及商界溝通。美國東岸各校林立，如波士頓和費城便吸引大批香港學生求學。此外，紐約擁有豐富的文化設施，如博物館和表演中心等，同時也是國際傳媒中心，例如《紐約時報》的總部便是設在紐約。三藩市則是重要的財經中心、金融中心，靠近科技重鎮矽谷，也是許多港人的聚集地，對促進香港與加州及華盛頓州的政府科創企業及大學交流可以發揮作用。
香港的政務官職系與一個國家的外交部性質不同，政務官沒有義務到外地工作，因此不少政務官因家庭理由或對涉外工作缺乏興趣，而對調派外地，特別是遙遠的北美洲卻步。試想一屆任期通常3 年，調往外地可能影響配偶工作及子女的教育安排。因此，不少政務官都不熱中調派外地工作。
The economic and trade offices in the U.S. have different functions
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has established 3 economic and trade offices in the United States, located in Washington, New York, and San Francisco. It is known that apart from the economic and trade office in Washington, the other economic and trade offices in the U.S. have dedicated teams for investment promotion or talent attraction. The investment promotion teams have been established for many years, while the talent attraction teams were set up by the current SAR government based on the policy of "attracting talent" and "attracting enterprises." So why hasn't the economic and trade office in Washington set up these teams?
Washington is the capital of the United States, where the federal government, the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court, the Federal Reserve, embassies, law firms, and lobbyists all operate. It is difficult for the talent attraction team to be effectively utilized in Washington. Additionally, the Washington office primarily deals with government-to-government (G2G) interactions, rather than business-to-business (B2B) interactions, which is the main distinction between it and the Trade Development Council office. The Trade Development Council's offices mainly engage with businesses in a B2B capacity and do not enjoy the privileges and exemptions of government offices.
Several factors need to be considered when choosing the location for setting up economic and trade offices, such as the functions of the region and whether there is a large concentration of Hong Kong people. The New York office is responsible not only for affairs in New York but also for work on the East Coast of the United States outside of Washington, such as strengthening communication with mainstream U.S. media and the business community. The East Coast of the United States boasts numerous prestigious schools, attracting many Hong Kong students for education, such as in Boston and Philadelphia. Moreover, New York has rich cultural facilities like museums and performance centers and is an international media hub, with the headquarters of The New York Times located there. San Francisco is a significant financial and economic center, close to the tech hub of Silicon Valley, and a gathering place for many Hong Kong people. It can play a role in promoting exchanges between Hong Kong and government, tech startups, and universities in California and Washington state.
The nature of the civil service officer system in Hong Kong differs from that of a country's foreign affairs ministry. Civil service officers are not obligated to work overseas, so many officers are hesitant to be posted abroad, especially to a distant place like North America, due to family reasons or lack of interest in foreign-related work. Considering a typical term of 3 years, being posted abroad may impact a spouse's job and children's education arrangements. Therefore, many civil service officers are not enthusiastic about being posted overseas.