02-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Head of Hong Kong arts hub optimistic over East-West partnerships despite Trump
Top arts institutions in New York and Washington are keen to seek business opportunities with their Asian counterparts despite worsening US-China tensions, according to Hong Kong arts hub CEO Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee.
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Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, he has imposed steep tariffs on Chinese products and threatened even more, and given billionaire Elon Musk the mandate to slash government spending and boost efficiency.
In an exclusive interview with the Post, Fung said a recent visit to New York and Washington left her optimistic that arts and culture groups would weather the current turbulence and continue working together.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority CEO said arts and culture transcended politics, while both sides were business-minded and any collaborations would be mutually beneficial.
'We should not stop building ties with our counterparts in the US,' said Fung, who was in the United States for almost 10 days. 'Arts and culture form the narrative connecting the world, a view which was widely shared with those we met.'
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She visited the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Guggenheim Museum, The Shed and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington.
