Update regarding the current situation in Hong Kong

The recent protests and political debate in Hong Kong has been a focus of attention globally, and the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (“NorCham”) supported a joint statement made by the Nordic Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong on June 6th, 2019 regarding the process of how the proposed extradition bill had been fast tracked without the normal thorough consultation and legislative scrutiny.

As a business chamber NorCham is not in a position to comment on the subsequent protests and the positions of the various related parties. However, from a business standpoint, while there is likely to be a near-term economic impact related to the recent protests, particularly to specific industries such as tourism, the perspective of the NorCham board is that the majority of Hong Kong’s business community continues to operate largely as usual, and the disruptions have been isolated and brief. Recent events as of this writing also appear to signal some de-escalation of tensions and the hopeful return to non-violent calls for government actions.

There has been extensive coverage of the protests in media and we encourage interested parties, particularly those who do not reside in Hong Kong, to stay informed on the latest news in order to gain an informed opinion on the situation as it evolves.

Any parties or businesses in Norway with questions on the current business environment as it may relate to their specific interest in Hong Kong are welcome to contact NorCham at chamber (a) ncchk.org.hk.