The departing head of the EU office in Hong Kong has said the rise of right-wing politics in the European Parliament will not significantly alter ties as the bloc had collaborated with the city in various areas, despite their “differences on political issues”.
But Thomas Gnocchi, who will be posted to Tokyo next month, said at an event on Wednesday that “big political changes” related to the city’s two national security laws had continued to “spring to mind” among Europeans.
The European Parliament elections in June saw far-right politicians make notable gains, with the European Conservatives and Reformists political bloc, led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, securing key committee positions.
While Gnocchi said it was a time of transition among EU leadership, he downplayed the potential implications of the political shift on its approach to Beijing and Hong Kong.
“I think it’s fair to say that there’s been a strong showing for parties on the right side of the spectrum following the European Parliament elections,” he said.
“In terms of EU-China or EU-Hong Kong relations, I can’t really tell you too much except that I don’t think there will be major changes.”
Gnocchi said the European Union’s office in Hong Kong would continue to follow a framework of voicing concerns while looking for collaboration opportunities, such as sustainability and the promotion of people-to-people exchange.
“It’s very important to highlight that, despite the differences and views on the political issues. There are many areas that we’ve been working with the Hong Kong government and authorities here,” he said.
But at the lunch hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong, he said he had experienced self-censorship “first-hand” in recent media interviews.
“I’ve had several instances where a reporter says, ‘well, we can’t really carry that’ … Even things which I would say are relatively uncontroversial and not particularly sensitive,” he said.
The EU was Hong Kong’s largest foreign business community in 2023, accounting for 1,550 companies in the city.
The bloc, as a single entity, was also the city’s third-largest trading partner last year, with bilateral merchandise trade standing at HK$510 billion (US$65.4 billion).
Gnocchi said Hong Kong would continue to play an important role for European businesses in the future provided such companies had confidence in the judiciary, “at least in the commercial sphere”, and the city maintained the “one country, two systems” governing principle.
The diplomat also said the number of European businesses and expatriates in Hong Kong had yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, urging the city to foster an environment that would better appeal to talent from all over the world.
Hong Kong’s appeal was also rooted in factors outside its business environment, he added.
“There is a reputational issue and, you know, it takes very little time to damage that reputation,” he said.
“But it takes a long time and a lot of work to build this up again. Unfortunately, maybe we’re seeing a little bit of that in the case of Hong Kong.”
