On Alfonz Koncan’s agenda: get more Manitoba businesses into Hong Kong.
Koncan is Winnipeg chapter co-president of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association. The group recently signed a letter of co-operation with the Manitoba government.
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council, a statutory body, also signed a co-operation letter with the province.
“We’re not focused hard enough,” Koncan said of local trade with Hong Kong (a special administrative region of China) and Southeast Asia. “We have too much of our trade going south (to the U.S.) and it’s vulnerable.”
He called Hong Kong a “pivot point” — a financial hub where players from nearby countries find trading partners.
Manitoba ships commodities such as barley, canola and wheat to Southeast Asia. There’s room for growth, especially as areas become wealthier and more populous, Koncan said.
He and colleagues aim to connect Manitoba firms with Hong Kong trade shows. The association has been doing so for several decades; it’s creating a pitch for funding to expand its efforts.
It’ll present the plan to the Manitoba and federal governments, Koncan said. He didn’t have a timeline for presentation on Tuesday.
Money hasn’t been slated for either Hong Kong-focused group the province has signed letters with, Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said.
“This is an ongoing discussion,” Kostyshyn said. “(The letters are) a tool that we feel is an important segment of dealing with countries such as China, Hong Kong (and) all across the European trade.”
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