Hong Kong–Israel relations refer to relations between
Hong Kong and
Israel. Israel has a consulate in Hong Kong, while Hong Kong is represented through the
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in addition to the Chinese embassy in
Tel Aviv.
History
In 1958, businessman Victor Zirinsky was appointed Israel's Honorary Consul in Hong Kong and served in this capacity until Israel's diplomatic presence was formally established in 1985, when
Reuven Merhav
Reuven Merhav (born 1936 in Tel Aviv), is an Israeli diplomat, intelligence official and an expert on Islam and the Middle East.
Early life and education
Merhav is the son of Jewish parents who escaped Nazi Germany. He graduated from the School ...
was appointed to be the Consul General as a joint representative for Hong Kong and Macau.
Hong Kong's interest in tech start-ups has led to increasing ties between the countries. InvestHK, a department of the Hong Kong Government, has stated it will help Israeli entrepreneurs set up operations in the city. Israeli start-ups enrolled in an accelerator program called StartMeUpHK that offers investments of $500,000, a trip to Hong Kong, mentorship programs with Asian business executives and admission to major tech events in the region.
In 2015, Israel signed an agreement with Hong Kong to increase cooperation in technology and R&D. A new program was established for projects focusing on research and development in the industrial sector. In Hong Kong, entrepreneurs receive funding through the ESS (Enterprise Support Scheme) program, managed by the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF); in Israel, funding is granted by the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry and the program is managed by the Office of the Chief Scientist, the Israeli Industry Center for Research and Development (MATIMOP).
In 2013, Hong Kong billionaire
Li Ka-shing
Sir Ka-shing Li (; born 13 June 1928) is a Hong Kong billionaire business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. As of June 2019, Li is the 31st richest person in the world, with an estimated net wealth of US$33.4 billion. He is the senior ad ...
donated $130 million to the
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
Speaker of the
Israeli parliament,
Yuli Edelstein, traveled to Hong Kong in 2016 to strengthen ties between Israel and Hong Kong. He hailed the good ties between the two entities.
Tourism and Transportation
According to Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, who visited Israel in November 2016, Israel is Hong Kong's largest visitor source market in the Middle East. Some 64,000 Israelis traveled to Hong Kong in 2015.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...
, Hong Kong's national airline, inaugurated flights from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv in March 2017.
Controversy
In 2017, at a mass gathering of
Hong Kong police officers and supporters after the
Beating of Ken Tsang incident, a speaker compared the public insults on police with the persecution of Jews during
World War II. While the two cases are hardly comparable, the Israeli consulate on 23 February 2017 expressed regret over the speaker's comment. In response, Hong Kong police force spokesman replied that the remarks did not represent the force.
Don’t compare police troubles with persecuted Jews, Israeli consulate urges
''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'', 23 February, 2017.
See also
* Foreign relations of Israel
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Kong-Israel relations
Bilateral relations of Hong Kong
Bilateral relations of Israel