Former US vice-president Mike Pence is expected to visit Hong Kong in mid-January to take part in a business forum, the South China Morning Post has learned.
Pence, who was Donald Trump’s deputy from 2017 to 2021, will speak at UBS Wealth Insights 2025 on January 16, according to an agenda document for the event seen by the Post.
It says Pence will deliver the opening address, titled “An insider view: a new future unfolds for the US and the world”. He will also offer “an insider view” on the US election and its global implications, with a focus on international relations, economic policies and geopolitical dynamics.
According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Pence is expected to attend the event in person and will also engage with business leaders in Hong Kong. The person said it would be a private trip and Pence would not meet government officials.
The visit comes two months after Washington downgraded its travel advisory warning for China from “level 3” to “level 2” – a move that followed Beijing releasing three US citizens who had been detained in the country for years.
Pence travelled to mainland China in 2015 when he was the governor of Indiana, but there is no public record of him making any previous visit to Hong Kong.