BOC Hong Kong held a press conference on the 17th to release the economic and investment outlook for 2023. Zhang Wenjing, senior economist at BOC Hong Kong, predicted that Hong Kong's economy will grow by 2.8% this year. Zhang Wenjing said that Hong Kong's economy was expected to shrink by about 3% last year due to the epidemic, geopolitical and monetary policy. As for this year, it is expected that the "customs clearance" between the mainland and Hong Kong will help stimulate consumption and business activities in Hong Kong, with the annual economic growth of about 2.8% or even higher. Zhang Wenjing predicted that the unemployment rate in Hong Kong would fall to 3.1% by the end of this year. Due to the guaranteed supply of the mainland, Hong Kong's inflation rate this year is 3%. However, Zhang Wenjing also said that under the relatively tight monetary policy, raising interest rates would still restrict the economy, and the poor external environment would continue to affect Hong Kong's foreign trade performance. (Xinhua News Agency)