It has been a very busy time for Hong Kong and for AmCham HK since the last issue of our e-Magazine. Most significant of course is the tariff turbulence which started on April 2. Our members, who have always been alert to the geopolitical and trade perturbations of these last few years, went into overdrive trying to figure out what is happening day-to-day and what their strategy should be. As a result, the Chamber provided several seminars on this issue. This included a very successful China Conference (see story) headlined by former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who gave a very insightful keynote speech on the thinking and mechanism in Washington (see cover story). It would be foolhardy to say that AmCham was able to provide solutions, but we can say we kept members up-to-date on what is happening and gave them a deeper understanding of the thinking behind some of the trade policies. And this helps members make their own decisions based on their own circumstances. Although there was an agreement between US and China on May 12, we are by no means out of the woods yet.

As for Hong Kong, starting with the Rugby Sevens, the new Kai Tai Sports Park was launched. See this issue for two articles on this impressive new venue, which since its inauguration has also seen entertainers from the UK, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, playing to packed audiences with its 50,000-seat capacity. This has transformed the Kai Tak area physically and added to Hong Kong’s vibrancy.  

As we said last time, with Art Basel and Art Central, March was also an Art month for Hong Kong, and we feature an interview in this issue with Catherine Kwai, of Kwai Fung Hin gallery, who has been in art gallery circles in Hong Kong for decades, and who is in the middle of the exciting developments in the art scene and business.  

Finally, you will be fascinated by a local success story which went global several decades ago—Crown Worldwide—with a new person at the helm. Our CEO Interview in this issue features Jennifer Harvey, daughter of long-time Hong Kong resident Jim Thompson, who was AmCham Chairman 22 years ago.

So overall, it has been an eventful two months for all of us, and you can read about it in this issue, which also has a couple other very interesting articles.