Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Sunday said talks he held during his trip to Paris showed that these visits were conducive to helping others better understand the SAR's development, and clearing up misunderstandings.

Writing on his official blog, the minister said he had been promoting the SAR's advantages to political and business leaders in France, and they were highly interested in the city’s latest developments.

"Some meeting participants told us that it was very important for the SAR government to actively go out and contact friends from different sectors," he wrote.

The financial chief said people he met during his French visit agreed that the SAR remains highly promising, with some describing the city as being as vibrant and charismatic as it was before the pandemic.

Chan added that he had been fostering exchanges between the two places in the business and cultural arenas, noting that he invited the organiser of a French tech conference, VivaTech, as well as the Théâtre National de Chaillot, to come to Hong Kong.

The minister said he will be leaving for San Francisco on Monday to promote cooperation between China and the United States in dealing with climate change.

"Although the current geopolitical situation is complicated, addressing climate change is the responsibility of the whole world. Countries must establish a stronger foundation for cooperation and smoother communication channels, so that the world can have a greater chance of success in moving towards zero carbon."

Chan said Hong Kong is sparing no efforts in becoming an international hub of green technology and finance.

He noted that he and other representatives will be sharing the SAR's knowledge and experience in developing a sustainable future in the Bay to Bay Dialogue and the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action.