On July 25, the Cross Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) students devoted their day to learning about business and economy from industry professionals at a local bank in Manhattan and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETO-NY).

The students first went to a local bank to learn about the banking system at both the national and local level, gaining an understanding of how US banking institutions are run. They also got an inside look at the various products that banks offer, learning about how products are developed in response to the trends and challenges faced by the banking industry in the US.

Following the session at the bank, the students visited HKETO-NY, where they met with the Office's Acting Director, Paul Cheung, who gave an engaging presentation about HKETO's work and provided insight regarding the economic, trade, investment, academic, and cultural relationship between Hong Kong and the US.

Cheung holds a Master's in Public Administration (International Relations) from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Business Administration (Professional Accountancy) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where over 20 percent of the students who attended CCIP this year come from.

Located on 54th St in Manhattan, HKETO-NY was established in 1983 with the mission to strengthen economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and the 31 eastern states of the US. It is one of the three offices of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) in the US.

"Today was a very thought-provoking day," said Lira Liu, a second year CUHK student studying integrated business administration and journalism who also organized and led the two visits. "I have much more knowledge and understanding about the importance of building business relations not just locally, but globally as well."