The seminar “Can Hong Kong achieve ‘common prosperity’?” organized by Savantas Liberal Arts Academy was held on 12 October. It was planned to be an onsite and online event, but had to be held online only due to the hoisting of No. 8 typhoon warning signal in the afternoon. Mr. Alex Wong, Policy Director of Savantas Policy Institute was the host of the seminar. Mr. Kwok Yat Ming, Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Federation of Journalists, joined as the guest host.

 

Mr. Wong introduced the concepts of “common prosperity” and “three income distributions” in his presentation. He brought out the question of whether Hong Kong should “make a bigger pie” or “slice the cake evenly”. He also pointed out the three main aspects of “common prosperity”. Mr. Kwok further elaborated on “common prosperity” and shared his views on the progress of poverty alleviation in China, as well as the problem of the widening gap between the rich and the poor in both China and Hong Kong. He mentioned that enterprises in China today have been putting more emphasis on sustainability and corporate social responsibilities, challenging the audience to reflect on the advocacy of local charity work.

 

During the discussion session, participants actively asked questions and shared their views on narrowing the wealth gap with Mr. Wong and Mr. Kwok.