Hong Kong Commerce chief to attend APEC meeting in US

Hong Kong's commerce and economic secretary will attend the Asia-Pacific-Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Detroit this week, the government said on Monday, the first Hong Kong official to visit the United States in more than three years.

Hong Kong's commerce and economic secretary will attend the Asia-Pacific-Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Detroit this week, the government said on Monday, the first Hong Kong official to visit the United States in more than three years. Algernon Yau will attend the two day meeting on May 25-26 and meet with other trade ministers to exchange views on regional co-operation, the statement said. He will return to Hong Kong on May 28.

Yau's trip comes as relations between the U.S. and Hong Kong have become increasingly strained since 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law in the former colony. Western governments, including the U.S. and Britain, have criticised the security law as a tool to crush dissent.

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law, which punishes subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with up to life in prison, has brought stability after protests in 2019. Earlier in May, Britain's Minister for Investment Dominic Johnson held a series of meetings with government officials and executives in Hong Kong, the first official visit from a senior British official to the city in five years.

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