A Toronto-based official involved in the pitch that was advertised in Canadian newspapers this week says it's targeting companies that want to "just get on with business" and remain "focused on their balance sheets."
"For tourists we get some warning if it's not safe to travel there, so what about for our businesses?" Calverley said. "It was a free city, not anymore." The push comes after three years of population decline in Hong Kong, and an outflow of thousands of young Hong Kongers to Canada, Britain and other countries that have set up dedicated immigration pathways for them in light of the political crackdown that followed vast street protests in 2019.
"Canadian companies that we work with, which are like the largest banks, insurance companies, technology companies, they don't necessarily engage in open political discourse with, say, the mainland Chinese government or the Hong Kong government and just get on with business. I think there is a separation."
Calverley said Hong Kong's push to attract Canadian companies is due to an "exodus" of people from the city, and initiatives like the strategic enterprises plan are an attempt to stem the tide of those fleeing potential persecution.