Hong Kong can ‘safeguard global health’ by resisting rising isolationism, leaders say
At major summit, city leader and health minister note rise of unilateralism but say Hong Kong is building bridges, seeking innovative partners
Hong Kong can help safeguard global health through international collaboration at a time when geopolitical tensions are intensifying and protectionism sweeps the world like a contagion, top officials from the city and mainland China have said.
At the two-day Asia Summit on Global Health that began on Monday, Hong Kong’s health minister also vowed to turn the city’s third medical school into a new powerhouse of innovation.
Delivering an opening speech at the conference attended by over 2,800 local and international representatives, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said isolationism was not a solution to the world’s healthcare problems and other social issues.
“In fighting a virus, isolation is vital – quarantining the infected to protect the healthy. But in tackling healthcare, trade and other societal issues, isolation is not the answer,” he said.
“With unilateralism and protectionism sweeping the world like a contagion, we should remember a fundamental truth: trade thrives on openness … For in trade, as in health, resilience lies not in isolation, but in collaboration.”
Lee added that Hong Kong would build meaningful partnerships and “innovative co-operations” with attendees of the summit.