Hong Kong ‘optimistic’ on economic growth despite global slowdown, Paul Chan says
Por Natalie Wong — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Hong Kong economy Hong Kong Hong Kong Economy Hong Kong ‘optimistic’ on economic growth despite global slowdown, Paul Chan says
The finance chief says city is well placed to channel global capital, support mainland Chinese firms going abroad and fund AI infrastructure in developing economies
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Natalie Wong Published: 2:20pm, 18 Oct 2026 Updated: 2:23pm, 18 Oct 2026
Hong Kong is more “optimistic” about its economic growth this year than the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is about the global outlook, the finance chief has said, pointing to the city’s unique position to capitalise on international capital flows and the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
Writing on his blog on Sunday after attending the IMF and World Bank Group’s annual meetings in Bangkok, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said world leaders’ discussions had been dominated by two forces: the rapid disruption driven by AI and energy price surges stemming from conflicts in the Middle East.
He noted that while the IMF expected global growth to slow from 3.5 per cent last year to 3.1 per cent this year, Asia’s economy would continue to expand at a faster pace.
The IMF recently upgraded its 2026 real GDP growth forecast for Hong Kong to 3.8 per cent, while the local government maintained its full-year forecast at 3.5 to 4.5 per cent.
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