International Reach & Access | The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

As well as our regular schedule of high-level delegations to Washington and Beijing, we are engaged in continuous dialogue with other business organizations, governmental agencies and leading thinkers.

Washington DC

AmCham 2018 delegation pictured in the Office of the Vice President

Since 1990, the AmCham leadership visits Washington DC and meets annually with policy makers and relevant interlocutors to obtain an on-the-ground perspective of affairs related to Hong Kong, and to share our local insight and knowledge from operating in the major business hub of Asia. These important visits and dialogues represent the voice and influence of American and international business that are based in Hong Kong for the Indo-Pacific region.

'I am particularly grateful to AmCham's annual Washington Doorknock event, which is helpful in making the case (having 1,400+ US companies operating in Hong Kong) for Hong Kong'

– Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam

Beijing

The Beijing Doorknock is the signature mission of AmCham to visit all the major Chinese Central Government authorities related to Hong Kong & Macau Affairs, trade, finance, research, etc. This mission provides members with an opportunity to have direct dialogue with Chinese government leaders and to gain insight on the latest social and economic developments related to Hong Kong and U.S.-China relations.

Greater Bay Area

PRD Company Study Mission: Visiting leading Chinese companies in the Pearl River Delta region in various industries and meeting with their senior managements to help members gain a deeper understanding of specific industries, as well as to build connections.

Bring PRD opportunities into HK: AmCham organizes reverse trade missions for mainland companies and government authorities to visit Hong Kong and meet with their relevant counterparts to facilitate dialogue and collaboration in a variety of topics, such as Fintech, Healthtech, Smart city, etc.

Taiwan

In May 2016, AmCham HK held a fact-finding mission to understand more about Taiwan’s economic policy and general policy issues under the new administration. The delegation was cordially received by senior officials from the Legislative Yuan and various government agencies, as well as in-depth briefings from the American Institute of Taiwan’s Director Kin Moy and his country team, interlocutors and senior business leaders in Taiwan.

The delegation had candid discussions with government officials and other interlocutors on the overall economic development of Taiwan, which had helped Delegation Members and their companies determine investment plans in Taiwan’s markets. The meetings facilitated an ongoing working relationship between the business sectors and the Government, and the development of a win-win situation for both international businesses and foreign investment policy planning in Taiwan.

Bangladesh

In September 2013, AmCham led a delegation of senior global and regional executives from the Apparel, Footwear and Textile sector to meet with Bangladesh Government officials. The trip developed an ongoing constructive dialogue and collaboration between the business sectors and the Government in achieving full potential for growth.

The key near and longer term discussion topics include: middle-level management education and training, sustainable factory models, and infrastructure developments. Major brands and retailed expressed interests as they have grown their businesses in tandem with the substantial industrial growth in the country. The companies are very much interested in seeing this growth continue, with expectations that the overall quality and size of the industries can move to the next level of sustainable development.

The delegation meetings facilitated the building of a strong win-win environment mutually beneficial for the country as well as for the companies, as both the industry and the Bangladesh Government share the same desires to achieve long-term goals of employing more people, providing safer working conditions, and producing a broad range of excellent products.

Cambodia

AmCham had several missions to Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the past several years, represented by a group of senior regional and global executives from the Apparel and Footwear industry. The trip was from a global procurement perspective discucsing various issues such as both risks and opportunities relevant to Cambodia.

The delegation met with senior government officials of the Royal Government of Cambodia, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, Secretary of State, Ministry of Commerce, and held briefings with Ambassador William E. Todd and Country Team of the US Embassy, ILO, Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), Cambodia Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA), AmCham Cambodia, and other key stakeholders.

Myanmar

In 2013, AmCham led a delegation of senior executives to Yangon to understand more about the investment climate with specific topics related to the infrastructure, apparel, footwear & textile, financial services, telecom industries. Delegates met with government officials, local and expatriate business leaders at meetings of various formats. Following U.S. President Barack Obama's executive order lifting US sanctions against Myanmar on October 7, 2016, many US companies have identified this an opportunity for their businesses to move forward with transactions involving their Burmese counterparts. AmCham is currently planning a fact-finding mission to Yangon in 2017.

Vietnam

AmCham has had ongoing constructive dialogue with relevant government officials and agencies concerning Vietnam’s economic development. In 2013, AmCham led a high-level delegation to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and met with senior government officials on (1) Master Plan on Economic Restructuring, the roadmap to form an in-depth growth model guaranteeing growth quality and improving the economy’s efficiency and competitiveness by 2020, (2) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), (3) infrastructure plans and developments for continued economic growth, trade facilitation and market access particularly in anticipation of a substantial increase of foreign investment after the conclusion of the TPP negotiations, and (4) apparel and Footwear industry-specific issues, such as middle-management education and training, sustainable factory models, minimum wage and salary review.

India

Despite having numerous natural strengths in Apparel and Footwear manufacturing – including availability of raw materials, low cost and large availability of labor, product/technical/management skills, reliable transportation/logistics and information technology, India has not emerged as a sourcing destination of choice for global brands. In recent years, brands have received feedback from their respective India offices that the Government has identified the Textile and Apparel industry to be the priority for growth and employment generation to improve the capability and competitiveness of the industry both at the state and central level. In continuation of a discussion initiated in Aug 2018, a delegation of the Apparel & Footwear Industry visited India in September 2019 to connect with key government and industry stakeholders and to understand the opportunities better. The key objectives of the mission were to: 1) Exploring the opportunities in the textile & apparel business in India, 2) Acquire a clear understanding of policy infrastructure and role of different government stake holders in execution: is it driven at State level or National level? Coordination mechanism between Federal and state government? 3) Soft infrastructure development plans: what is the plan to support the development of key skills or capabilities needed to successfully grow the textile & apparel business? 4) Ease of doing business: clarity on what is being done to increase the ease of doing business in India (hard & soft infrastructure, etc.)

Africa

In November 2019, the Apparel, Footwear and Supply Chain industry joined forces with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and led a delegation of senior executives to west Africa. The trade mission successfully developed new relations with government officials and corporates in Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, and Ghana.