Due to the US-China trade war, a major Hong Kong business chamber postpones its trip to Dallas.
Hong Kong’s largest business chamber has postponed a planned trip to the United States next week amid the escalating US-China trade war, while Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled a ceremony to mark the inaugural flight of its new Dallas service, which the delegation was originally going to take.
The New People’s Party, led by Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, has also postponed a trip to the US.
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce CEO Patrick Yeung Wai-tim said on Thursday that the delegation of 10 to 20 members and leaders would not depart for Dallas on April 24 as scheduled because of the fast-changing geopolitical situation.
It would have been the chamber’s first visit to the US in seven years.
“We were talking about going ahead with the delegation [on Wednesday], but subsequently after listening to the views of our members, we decided it was not the right time to go,” Yeung told the Post.
He added that members had made the decision “without having anyone put pressure on us or intervening”.
“The chamber considers all factors and with the escalating trade war and huge ramifications not only for US and Hong Kong businesses but also the global economy, we have decided to postpone the mission,” he said.
Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, warned on Tuesday that the US “isn’t after our tariffs, it is after our very survival”.
He slammed the US’ “arrogant and shameless” imposition of tariffs and that it would be “naive” to think that bowing down to it would achieve peace.
US President Donald Trump had imposed cumulative tariffs of 145 per cent on all Chinese goods over several escalatory rounds, with the White House also revealing the figure to be as high as 245 per cent on some goods.
The chamber had originally planned to take Cathay’s inaugural direct flight to Dallas on April 24. Delegates would meet with US-based think tanks and business groups to discuss economic and business matters about Hong Kong.
A Cathay spokesman said on Thursday night that the route launch ceremony on April 24 had been cancelled, while the scheduled flights would not be affected.
The chamber’s Yeung said the new Dallas service would provide a convenient transport link to Central America and Latin American cities.
He made clear that the delegation’s trip was an independent endeavour that had nothing to do with politics. It had not planned to meet any US-based groups associated with political parties, nor was it influenced by any Hong Kong government initiatives.
“We aimed to engage, connect and communicate with our counterparts in the US,” he said, adding that the group had postponed the trip to the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, a trip to the US by the New People’s Party is also not going to set off soon.
Party chairman Ip had originally been scheduled to lead a delegation to the United States later this month, the Post learned.
Ip confirmed to the Post that her party had been working on a trip to the US, but they “decided to postpone it to a more tranquil time”, with an insider explaining that they were closely monitoring the US-China situation before finalising a decision.
