The Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit is a financial summit to be hosted in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), scheduled for 1–3 November 2022.
Background
The initiative was announced by Financial Secretary Paul Chan in March 2022, and the theme is "Navigating Beyond Uncertainty" with the goal of discussing challenges and opportunities facing the global financial community. Another hope for the Summit was for the government to show the re-opening and reconnecting of the city.
According to Eddie Yue of the HKMA, the Summit is expecting around 200 guests (including over 30 CEOs and chairmen) from over 100 major financial institutions.
For guests who stay after the Summit concludes, the 2022 Hong Kong Sevens is scheduled to take place afterwards. Guests to the Summit will also be given free coupons as gifts to the Wine and Dine Festival, from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, where they can be redeemed at 210 restaurants and bars for free cocktails or other drinks. The tickets are reserved and separate from the 50,000 allocated to the public.
COVID-19 exemptions
Guests
Some firms had earlier warned that their top bosses would not attend if any COVID-19 restrictions remained in place. Other executives did not want special exemptions from the restrictions, due to bad optics if other people still faced restrictions. Yue gave a conflicting statement in September 2022 and said that "Nobody asked about quarantine restrictions [then], or any arrangements needed to come to Hong Kong" when the HKMA invited guests in March 2022. Earlier, Jamie Dimon and Nicole Kidman triggered local outrage by having given special exemptions from quarantine. Hong Kong Economic Times reported in August 2022 that the government was considering special exemptions for Summit guests.
Yue said on 29 September 2022 that "I am most grateful to our friends who are travelling to attend the Summit at a time when some anti-epidemic controls remain in place." However, on 20 October 2022, SCMP reported that guests to the Summit will be exempted from certain COVID-19 restrictions that other regular arrivals to Hong Kong face. With the "0+3" measure, normal arrivals to Hong Kong are issued an "amber code" on their LeaveHomeSafe app during their first 3 days in the city, barring them from eating at restaurants, and visiting bars, gyms, and other venues. However, guests to the Summit will not be subject to the amber code restriction, allowing them to visit such venues.
In addition, while testing positive for COVID-19, people are not allowed to leave Hong Kong on commercial airliners and must be quarantined in hotels until testing negative, but guests to the Summit will be allowed to leave by private jet and yachts. A CEO of a private jet company said interest from banking professionals had increased due to the Summit, with prices ranging from US$230,000 to US$350,000 to fly from Hong Kong to London and New York.
The Health Bureau discussed the plans with the HKMA to finalize the details of the exemptions. Speaking on the exemptions, an HKMA spokesperson said "The government has approved a set of infection-control arrangements that are applicable to the coming summit. The arrangements will provide the necessary facilitation for participants to take part in the summit and business activities." One of the sources for SCMP stated that "The arrangements are aimed at showing the top bankers that Hong Kong is back to normal and ready to reconnect with the international business community" but did not state how special COVID-19 exemptions made the city "back to normal."
On 24 October 2022, Yue also mentioned "back to normal," stating "This is exactly the kind of vibrant activity that characterises Hong Kong as a regional hub, and that we want to emphasise as we get back to normal after the restrictions necessitated by the pandemic." Yue also said that the special exemptions were part of "reasonable facilitation" for guests, and that they would be allowed to "visit certain venues that require active checking." On 27 October 2022, Yue said that he hopes to show the world that "Hong Kong is back." On 31 October 2022, the deputy CEO of the HKMA, Darryl Chan, said that the Summit would show the world that Hong Kong is reconnecting and reopening.
On 26 October 2022, Kwok Cheuk-kin said he would launch a legal challenge against the vaccine pass policies, stating "I will challenge whether [vaccine pass policies] are necessary. Hongkongers can only access designated premises by using this app but people coming for the financial summit are not required to. This is against the Basic Law as residents are equal before the law," referring to Article 25 of the Basic Law.