Macau chambers warn of ‘irrelevance’ without stronger gov’t backing as Hong Kong steps up ASEAN push

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Macau’s business community is warning that the city risks being sidelined in the race to capture Southeast Asian opportunities, with chamber leaders saying Hong Kong is moving faster, more visibly and with much stronger official backing.

In remarks to the Times, Macau ASEAN International Chamber of Commerce (MAICC) chairman Kelvin Tan said Macau has not matched Hong Kong’s scale, speed or institutional support, and contended that the gap is now wide enough to threaten Macau’s relevance in ASEAN outreach.

As the Times previously reported, Hong Kong has moved aggressively to position itself as a key connector between ASEAN and the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

At the GBA-ASEAN Summit 2026, held from June 30 to July 1 in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu personally led the outreach and cast ASEAN as central to Hong Kong’s economic diversification.

“Together, the two regions have what it takes to form a powerful and complementary partnership,” Lee said, noting that ASEAN has been Hong Kong’s second-largest merchandise trading partner for 16 consecutive years and that bilateral goods trade reached USD214 billion last year.

In addition, Hong Kong has expanded its institutional footprint in Southeast Asia.

Lee highlighted the opening of the city’s fourth Economic and Trade Office in ASEAN, in Kuala Lumpur, along with the launch of a dedicated ASEAN Chamber of Commerce to coordinate business links and outreach during the summit.

The ASEAN Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong) (ACCHK) describes itself as “a proponent and participant in developing and deepening business ties between China and ASEAN.”

While InvestHK describes ACCHK as driving “two-way trade and investment between China and ASEAN” and being “committed to supporting members and partners in expanding across ASEAN markets, while leveraging Hong Kong’s unique institutional framework, networks and infrastructure.”

Macau’s push?

To the Times, Tan contrasted these recent actions with Macau’s more limited visibility at comparable events.

“John Lee personally attended the whole event [GBA-ASEAN Summit 2026] and delivered a speech,” Tan said.

By contrast, Tan recounted that Macau’s Chief Executive declined to attend a recent regional meeting between the Macau European Chamber of Commerce and MAICC, despite being invited, and instead sent Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak.

At this meeting, Tan reflected that the Secretary for Administration and Justice delivered a brief address before leaving shortly afterward.

The contrast, Tan suggested, reflects a broader lack of visible senior-level commitment at a time when regional competition is intensifying.

Observing Hong Kong’s approach, Tan said, “The most important message to come out of the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2026 is that basically they are ahead of us in everything,” adding, “It’s like a boxing match. It’s like a super lightweight facing a super heavyweight now that they are in the game.”

Narrowing niche

Macau still has a role, but a “more limited one” than before, Tan said. The MAICC chairman pointed to tourism, especially meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, as well as small and medium-sized enterprise trade, as the city’s clearest niches.

“Our only niche would be once they are in full swing, tourism and trading,” he said. “Tourism and trading would be the only Macau niche.”

On business pairings, Tan said Macau can still help connect small and medium-sized companies in the GBA with ASEAN markets, even if larger corporations gravitate toward Hong Kong’s more established platform.

“All big corporations would now channel to the Hong Kong side because they are more prominent,” he said.

Even that narrower role, Tan warned, depends on policy support. “We are only as good as what our government allows us to be,” he added.

Gaps and limitations

According to Tan, the biggest gap facing MAICC is funding.

He said the chamber receives no government support and relies on private contributions from its leadership. “We received zero funding from the government […] I could have done more had I had more funds,” Tan said, adding that the recent Vietnam delegation mission was largely self-financed by him and other senior chamber members.

Hong Kong’s new ASEAN Chamber of Commerce, by contrast, operates with a much larger budget, Tan said. He said the chamber has about HKD10 million in annual funding, split between a HKD5 million government contribution and another HKD5 million from business backers linked to Sino Group.

The difference, Tan said, is strategic as well as financial, because a well-funded body can pursue a broader regional agenda. “They are going to pose a serious challenge to what we do,” Tan said.

On Macau, Tan said the city’s challenge in driving two-way trade is not only political support but also physical connectivity. He said weak air links and limited port capacity make it harder for Macau to compete with Hong Kong on trade facilitation and regional business coordination. “Even for tourism and trade, we (Macau) are hampered by flight connectivity,” he said.

“We need a better seaport to support trade.”

Those constraints matter more as ASEAN economies become more tightly connected to the manufacturing and innovation base of the GBA. Hong Kong’s strengths as a free port, financial center and aviation hub, Tan said, give it a natural advantage in handling capital flows, supply-chain activity and cross-border business.

Lost head start

The sense of urgency is sharpened by the belief that Macau once had an early lead. Tan said MAICC was established 15 years ago, before Hong Kong’s latest ASEAN push gathered momentum, but has operated for years on limited means.

“We had the head start… and we’ve been doing our work on a very limited, constrained basis because of financial resources,” he said.

The launch of Hong Kong’s better-funded chamber has prompted MAICC to reassess its strategy. Tan said he convened a special executive committee meeting last week to brief members on the competitive threat and discuss how Macau can remain relevant.

“If we don’t step up, we will be irrelevant,” he said.Regional competition

Macau’s concern comes as ASEAN itself becomes more competitive as a destination for trade, tourism and investment. Malaysia has emerged as a benchmark for openness, helping it overtake Thailand as Southeast Asia’s top tourism destination, according to previous Times reporting. It recorded more than 38 million arrivals in 2025, supported by liberal visa rules and improved infrastructure.

That competitiveness matters because ASEAN and the GBA are becoming more interdependent. Guangdong’s manufacturing strengths and ASEAN’s consumer markets and resources are creating a more integrated regional economic corridor. Hong Kong is moving quickly to position itself at the center of that flow, while Macau is still defining where it fits.

Macau officials have emphasized tourism and regional cooperation in recent months. In June, Secretary for Economy and Finance Ng Wai Han highlighted tourism, trade and MICE as central to Macau-ASEAN ties and pointed to record visitor arrivals last year as evidence of the city’s recovery.

But chamber leaders say words alone are not enough. Tan said the government needs to provide stronger financial support, better logistics and more visible participation at regional forums if it wants Macau to compete effectively.

That question, he suggested, now defines Macau’s ASEAN strategy. “Now you have a serious competitor,” Tan said. “Are we going to step up the game, or are we just going to be pushed aside to become irrelevant?”