Rachael Bedlington, Consul General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao

Message

Welcome!

Canada has a long and close relationship with the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, and I warmly welcome you to this website, where you can learn more about the services provided by the Consulate General of Canada.

Looking globally, one of the largest Canadian communities abroad is found in Hong Kong, estimated at 300,000 people. Along with 175,000 Canadian-educated Hong Kong residents and over 208,000 people from Hong Kong living in Canada, this large community of Canadians and Hong Kongers with a strong Canada-connection are playing an increasingly important role enhancing our bilateral ties both locally and regionally, nourishing already vibrant connections across the Pacific.

These close bonds are not new. Some 2,000 Canadian soldiers fought during the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. Their commitment and sacrifice is commemorated each year in a ceremony at the Sai Wan War Cemetery. More than 80 years later, they continue to inspire us.  

Hong Kong has undergone significant change in recent years, but our ties and friendship remain strong. Canada looks to Hong Kong to maintain shared common values, including upholding the rule of law, an independent judiciary and freedom of expression. Good governance and the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ model are both essential for Hong Kong’s continued stability and prosperity.

After the global trade slowdown caused by the COVID-pandemic, commerce is reviving, with some sectors and regions leading the way in the ongoing recovery. The Government of Canada is working to bring firms and opportunities together, to support this recovery, build Canada’s prosperity, and to strengthen our economic and political relations globally, including throughout Asia and the Indo-Pacific. 

Hong Kong plays a strategic role as an effective and efficient super-connector for Canadian companies looking to expand in mainland China and elsewhere in Asia, for both trade and two-way investment. Macao too offers new opportunities for Canadian firms to explore. Both Hong Kong and Macao are anchor points for the Greater Bay Area, which extends through mainland China to nine additional cities, led by Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Realizing the GBA ambition will mean increased business flows and trade opportunities within this area of over 70 million people.

There are vibrant Canadian business communities in Hong Kong and Macao, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, with its over 1,500 members, is one of the largest Canadian chambers outside of Canada. It provides support for Canadian companies that are looking to expand their business in this part of the world. There is also an active Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Macao.

As a dynamic country with a rich culture and strong economy, Canada is active in digital diplomacy and we continuously enhance our connections online. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, allow us to provide real-time information on Canadian values, culture and commercial successes in Hong Kong and Macao, to provide important notices to the community and information on visiting, studying or working in Canada, as well as immigration pathways.

You can also find information about Canada throughout China on Weibo and WeChat.

On behalf of the entire team at the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao, thank you for visiting our site. Let us know what additional information we should add in future that would be useful to you.

Yours sincerely, 

Rachael Bedlington

Biography

Rachael Bedlington (BA Joint Honours [East Asian Studies and Political Science], McGill University, 1990, Nanjing Normal University, 1992) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1992. Ms. Bedlington most recently served as minister (commercial) at the embassy in Beijing, her fourth assignment with the Government of Canada in China. From 2015 to 2019, she was the consul general in Guangzhou, and she completed previous China assignments at the embassy from 1995 to 1998 and 2006 to 2011. She has also served as political counsellor in Kuala Lumpur and as chargé d’affaires in Colombo. At Headquarters, she has worked on a diverse range of issues, including in divisions responsible for negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, for bilateral relations with India and Southeast Asia, and, in the Human Resources Branch, for diplomatic assignments. In 2011, she became head of Canada’s Sudan and South Sudan Task Force, representing Canada at the Darfur Peace Agreement Implementation Follow-Up Commission and serving as chair of the International Contact Group on Sudan and South Sudan. From 2013 to 2015, she served as executive director for human rights and Indigenous affairs policy.