The Hong Kong-US Business Council held its 22nd plenary meeting in Washington DC on 30 April 2009. Discussions covered Hong Kong's fundamental business strengths for US companies looking towards China, and the new opportunities being presented by the transformations in the Pearl River Delta region.

There was a strong line-up of speakers including Justin Lin, Chief Economist of the World Bank and Dr John Hamre, President of Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and former US Deputy Secretary of Defense, in addition to Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for Asia of the White House National Security Council and Senator Christopher S. Bond from the state of Missouri. Key Hong Kong speakers at the session included Professor Lawrence Lau, Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Edward Yau, Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR Government.

The meeting covered a number of pertinent issues including the challenges and solutions to the global economic crisis, overview of the new US-China economic policy under the Obama Administration, as well as green investment and energy cooperation, at which Secretary for Environment Mr Yau shared with members the new initiatives undertaken by the Hong Kong government.

To gain deeper insights into US trade policy towards China, the Hong Kong delegation also called on senior members of the US House of Representatives including Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush, Chair of Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and California Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, member of the House Ways and Means Committee majority and Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. These politicians were reassured of Hong Kong's continued significance in the changing world economy and US-China relations.