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Hong Kong cinema’s cultural legacy celebrated in New York 

This year’s New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) once again celebrated Hong Kong cinema with the “Hong Kong Panorama” series, featuring 10 dynamic films presented with support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (New York ETO). A major highlight was a star-studded award presentation (Jul 14) held prior to the North American premiere of “Last Song For You”. Lead actor Ekin Cheng received the prestigious Star Asia Award, for his legendary contributions across film, television, and music, and his enduring impact on Hong Kong’s popular culture. His co-star Natalie Hsu was honoured with the Screen International Rising Star Award, highlighting her breakout performances and her bright future on the global stage.

Before the screening, New York ETO hosted a special reception celebrating Hong Kong filmmakers shaping the future of the city’s cinema. Director of New York ETO, Maisie Ho, highlighted the diversity and international appeal of Hong Kong films, noting that over half of the films at the festival were North American premieres, proof that Hong Kong cinema continues to innovate, inspire, and resonate across borders. The lineup included four directorial debuts and three films supported by the Hong Kong Film Development Fund.

The Butterfly Lovers by Hong Kong Ballet to make US Premiere 

Don’t miss the US premiere of Hong Kong Ballet’s award-winning production, The Butterfly Lovers, at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, from Aug 22 – 24. This captivating ballet is reimagined by an international team of creatives led by Artistic Director Septime Webre, alongside the company’s Choreographer-in-Residence Hu Song Wei Ricky and Mai Jingwen. It retells the iconic and poignant Chinese folktale of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, a young woman who disguises herself as a boy to attend an academy and her forbidden love story with Liang. Winner of six major awards at the 2025 Hong Kong Dance Awards, The Butterfly Lovers blends inspiring dance, contemporary Chinese aesthetics and eternal hope. Featuring breathtaking sets and costumes by Academy Award winner Tim Yip, the production brings to life a world where tradition and modernity beautifully coexist. Tickets start at $39 and are available online or at the theatre’s box office.

Young musicians from Hong Kong and New York foster friendship

Young musicians from Hong Kong’s PREMIA International Young Artists Music Festival had a rare opportunity to engage in inspiring dialogue with members of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA) at a special luncheon on Jul 20 right before the latter embark on their Asia tour. Co-hosted by New York ETO and NYO-USA, the event fostered meaningful exchanges, connections and friendships between the young musicians. The Hong Kong musicians were also invited to a private rehearsal by NYO-USA at Carnegie Hall — a special preview before the prestigious youth orchestra embarks on its summer tour with world-renowned violinist Ray Chen and conductor Gianandrea Noseda to Asia, which includes a stop in Hong Kong on Jul 28. Earlier on Jul 19, the Hong Kong delegation showcased their remarkable talent at two Prizewinner Concerts at Carnegie Hall. 

Dragon boat race celebrates 35th anniversary in Flushing

Get ready for some excitement as the 35th edition of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Aug 9-10, offering exhilarating races, vibrant culture and family fun. Over 180 teams from across the nation will compete in one of the largest dragon boat festivals in the US, first introduced by New York ETO in 1990. The festival will also feature cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, family-friendly activities and delicious Hong Kong delicacies! Don’t miss this multi-cultural celebration! Learn more here.

New York panel discusses Hong Kong’s strategic role in tariff war

An engaging panel discussion titled “A Conversation on the Tariff War: Navigating Global Trade Tensions” was held at Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management Conference Center on Jul 9 which attracted close to 100 attendees. Delivering her welcoming remarks, Director of the New York ETO, Maisie Ho, highlighted Hong Kong’s position amid ongoing global trade tensions, reaffirming the city’s commitment to being a tariff-free port and an advocate for open markets, underscoring the city’s role as a founding member of the World Trade Organization and its continued support for the free flow of capital, goods, people, and information.

Addressing the event, Monica Guerra, Executive Director and Head of US Policy at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, gave an overview and analysis on the impact of the tariff measures. This was followed by a panel discussion by Gil Bar-Lev, President of HomeRoots; Mitchell Presnick, Visiting Fellow of Practice at Harvard University and founder of Super 8 Hotels China; and Dr. Paul Sheard, bestselling author of The Power of Money. Moderated by Senior Advisor at the South China Morning Post James Heimowitz and supported by the Hong Kong Association of New York and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the discussion explored the evolving tariff landscape and its impact on global business, particularly across the US-China corridor. The panelists expressed optimism about Hong Kong’s relevance and its unique position in international trade and supply chain strategies. 

Surge in Hong Kong’s assets under management

Hong Kong experienced strong growth as a leading international asset and wealth management hub in 2024, with assets under management (AUM) notching a robust year-on-year gain of 13% to US$4.53 trillion. Net fund inflows also surged 81% to US$91 billion, according to the Securities and Futures Commission’s (SFC) Wealth Management Activities Survey 2024, released on Jul 16. SFC-authorised Hong Kong-domiciled funds showed robust growth, with net asset value up 22% to US$211 billion by end-2024 and a further 21% increase to US$256 billion by end-May 2025. Net fund inflows reached US$20.9 billion in 2024, followed by US$30.5 billion in the first five months of 2025. The investor base remained geographically diverse, with investors outside Mainland China and Hong Kong consistently accounting for over 54% of the total AUM.

Record number of new companies registered in 1H2025

Company registrations in Hong Kong reached record highs in the first half of 2025, with 1,494,806 local companies and 15,509 non-Hong Kong companies registered under the Companies Ordinance, according to the Company Registry (Jul 18). During the period, Hong Kong introduced two enhancement measures, including enabling listed companies incorporated in Hong Kong to hold shares bought back in the treasury and dispose of them, and promoting paperless corporate communication for both listed and unlisted Hong Kong companies. The second measure introduced a company re-domiciliation regime that offers non-Hong Kong corporations a simple and cost-effective route to re-domicile to Hong Kong while preserving their legal identity and operational continuity. In the first half of the year, there were 116 new registrations for limited partnership funds and 109 new open-ended fund companies, bringing the total number to 1,099 and 579, respectively.

Hong Kong excels in maritime audit

Hong Kong achieved outstanding results in the International Maritime Organization Member State Audit Scheme (Jul 10), carried out in Nov 2023. The recently published result showed the outstanding performance by Hong Kong in multiple audit areas, especially its shipping registry, testifying to Hong Kong’s commitment to go above and beyond in fulfilling international obligations. The Hong Kong Shipping Registry ranks fourth in the world in terms of gross tonnage, and the fleet of Hong Kong-registered ships is renowned globally for its good quality. The consistently low detention rate of Hong Kong-registered ships under worldwide Port State Control inspections at 0.69% is significantly lower than the global average of 3.3%, reflecting Hong Kong’s constant effort in maintaining and enhancing the safety, reliability and credibility of its fleet.

Career fairs held to attract global talent

The Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) hosted two online career fairs (Jul 10 and 11) and an offline career fair to attract global innovation and technology (I&T) talent to pursue development in Hong Kong, supporting the city’s development as an international hub for high-calibre talent. The online career fair featured 47 renowned enterprises and organisations, offering nearly 2,000 jobs across sectors such as data centre operations, cyber security and business analysis. It attracted almost 33,000 visits from job-seekers in 14 countries or regions, including Mainland China, UK, US, Australia, Canada, Germany, France and Switzerland, with over 3,000 curricula vitae submitted. About 90% of participating enterprises and organisations expressed satisfaction with the event arrangements and indicated interest in joining future recruitment events. HKTE will organise an online career fair targeting European and American markets in the second half of the year, to further attract global I&T professionals.

HKSAR reaffirms commitment to rule of law

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government strongly condemned (Jul 11) the US Government for extending the so-called “national emergency with respect to Hong Kong”, accusing it of smearing the work of Hong Kong in preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for activities endangering national security. In a statement, the HKSAR Government criticised the US of blatantly and repeatedly breaching international law and interfering with the internal affairs of the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong. It said the move was arbitrary and unreasonable, citing biased remarks, and attempts to undermine the city’s rule of law, prosperity and stability.

Separately, the HKSAR Government denounced (Jul 16) organisations in the US and other Western countries for slandering and smearing its lawful handling of the case of Lai Chee-ying and related custodial arrangements. The Government said in a statement that these organisations and the media were trying to undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong. It reiterated that legal proceedings are ongoing, and any public comments could interfere with the court’s exercise of independent judicial power and pervert the course of justice. The Government reaffirmed that all cases in Hong Kong, including Lai’s, are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law, ensuring fair trials under the safeguards of the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

The Basic Law (BL) is the constitutional document of the HKSAR. It provides the guarantees to maintain our existing way of life, including socio-economic development, the rights and duties of Hong Kong people, the rule of law and other areas. The Basic Law was put into effect on July 1, 1997.

Q: What does the Basic Law say about Hong Kong’s economic system and way of life?

A: The Basic Law provides that the capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged. Hong Kong maintains a free and open market economy with a free flow of capital, goods, intangible assets, and a freely convertible currency. People's lifestyle remains the same as before. (BL Articles 5; 112; 115)