Hong Kong is fighting a "twin battle" — fending off the coronavirus pandemic and trying to save its battered economy at the same time — but the city remains "highly resilient" despite the challenges, its commerce secretary said Tuesday.

Hong Kong's recovery depends on global trade and will be determined by when the world gets back on its feet, Edward Yau, Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and economic development, told CNBC on Tuesday.

The Asian financial hub's economy has been hit hard by consecutive crises over the past year: from the U.S.-China trade war that intensified in 2018, to the months-long protests which shuttered shops and severely hit tourism last year.

Now, the city is faced with a health and economic crisis brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 1,000 people in the Chinese territory, and killed at least 4, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

"Hong Kong, and in fact the global economy, are fighting a twin battle — one is the fight against the epidemic and the other is in fact fighting to save the economy. The second battle could not be (won) without winning the first one," said Yau.