Chen Maobo: Hong Kong has sufficient contingency plans to deal with the financial market risks brought by the Middle East conflict.

On March 1st, the Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government stated that Hong Kong has limited direct trade and investment with Iran, but the conflict in the Middle East has caused great uncertainty on a global scale. Paul Chan Mo-po estimated that due to the impact of the Middle East conflict, there may be significant fluctuations in the financial markets, capital flows may shift more rapidly, and there may also be uncertainty. Local funds may seek a "safe haven" and come to Hong Kong, so the Hong Kong SAR government must be prepared to carefully manage financial risks and already has sufficient contingency plans in place. Paul Chan Mo-po pointed out that this conflict may have a short-term impact on gold prices, oil prices, and international trade transportation costs, and the Hong Kong SAR government has been continuously evaluating related risks.