Director-General of Investment Promotion visits Japan and Korea to attract business investment to Hong Kong
Japan and Korea are two of Hong Kong's top trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching over HK$307 billion with Japan and HK$355 billion with Korea in 2024. As Asia's leading international business hub, Hong Kong serves as a strategic gateway for Japanese and Korean enterprises looking to expand into Mainland China and beyond.
The Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Ms Alpha Lau, will commence her duty visit to Tokyo in Japan and Seoul in Korea tomorrow (February 17) to promote Hong Kong's latest business opportunities.
During the visit, Ms Lau will meet with representatives from prominent Japanese and Korean corporations, business associations and incubators in various sectors, including financial services, business and professional services, fintech, and innovation and technology, to discuss their plans to set up or expand in Hong Kong, and how Hong Kong can serve as a strategic gateway to global markets.
In Japan, among other meetings, Ms Lau will also meet representatives from FINOLAB, the fintech centre of Tokyo; Fintech Association of Japan; Japan Cryptoasset Business Association and Global Finance and Technology Network Japan to foster innovation and collaboration in the fintech sector. She will also speak at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network event to discuss how Hong Kong's favourable business environment has attracted foreign direct investment.
In Korea, Ms Lau will visit D.CAMP, one of the largest start-up hubs in the country, and meet with its start-ups to further enhance ties between Hong Kong and Korea's vibrant start-up ecosystem.
Ms Lau said, "We have 34 offices worldwide, with our Tokyo and Seoul offices being among the earliest established. This underscores the longstanding close economic and trade relations between Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. Thanks to its strategic location, Hong Kong serves as the main bridge linking the Mainland and the rest of the world, with a strong emphasis on fostering artificial intelligence, life sciences, and other innovation-driven industries. It is an ideal place for Japanese and Korean companies and entrepreneurs to expand in the region."
She added, "There is an ongoing interest in Japanese and Korean pop culture and cuisine in Hong Kong. An increasing number of Japanese and Korean food and beverage companies have shown interest in setting up or expanding their business in the city."
According to the results of the 2024 Annual Survey of Companies in Hong Kong with Parent Companies Located outside Hong Kong, Japanese companies have a significant presence in Hong Kong, with over 1 400 Japanese companies operating in the city, a 2.3 per cent increase compared to 2023. There were 160 Korean companies operating in Hong Kong in 2024, representing a notable 11.2 per cent increase compared to 2023.
Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme for Welfare Sector 2026-27 invites applications
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) announced that the full-time Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme for the Welfare Sector 2026-27 is inviting applications starting today (January 12). The programme, which will last for two years, with a total of 427 places, aims to train students to become enrolled nurses to alleviate the shortage of nurses in the welfare sector and enhance the quality of care services.
In response to the keen demand for nurses in the welfare sector, the SWD has commissioned the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Saint Francis University and the Tung Wah College to provide the Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme for the Welfare Sector for five consecutive years starting from the 2023-24 academic year.
An SWD spokesman said, "Applicants for the programme must be permanent Hong Kong residents with right of abode in Hong Kong and have attained the age of 18 by the time the training programme commences. They must also have attained Level2 or above in five subjects, including Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and any two other subjects in Categories A (Note) and B, in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination; or an equivalent qualification. Applicants are also required to take note of other entry requirements as specified by respective training institutes."
The spokesman added, "To encourage young people and frontline staff currently serving the welfare sector to upgrade their professional skills, priority will be accorded to applicants who have successfully completed the two-year Diploma Programme and obtained the diploma under the Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services launched in 2015 (or under the First-hire-then-train Pilot Scheme from 2013 to 2016) by the SWD; or those who are currently working full-time in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or private organisations providing elderly, rehabilitation, family and child care, youth or correctional services. Individuals who aspire to pursue a career as enrolled nurses in the welfare sector are also welcome."
Tuition fees will be reimbursed to trainees in full on the condition that they have successfully completed the training programme and qualified to register as enrolled nurses within two years. Trainees will be required to sign an undertaking to work as an Enrolled Nurse (General) in NGOs or private organisations recognised by the SWD for providing elderly, rehabilitation, family and child care, or correctional services for a continuous period of no less than three years after completion of the training.
Information seminars on the training programme will be held by the three institutes starting from January. Details of the information seminars are set out in the table below:
Training institute |
Date and time of information seminar |
Website |
Enquiry number |
Hong Kong Metropolitan University |
2pm,
January 27 |
Programme content (Chinese only)
www.hkmu.edu.hk/nhs/tc/programmes-courses/nursing-and-health-studies/sub-degree-programmes/hdngf1_hdngosf1/
Application
admissions.hkmu.edu.hk/ug/online-application |
3970 2928 /
3970 2957 |
Saint Francis University |
3pm, February 6 |
Programme content
www.sfu.edu.hk/en/programmes/sub-degree-programmes/higher-diploma-in-enrolled-nursing-general-hden-swd/introduction/index.html
Application
onlineapplication.sfu.edu.hk/oa/admission/hdenswdForm |
3702 4388 |
Tung Wah College |
3.30pm, January 28 |
Programme content
www.twc.edu.hk/en/Programmes/hdn_swd
Application
www.twc.edu.hk/admission/ |
3190 6672 |
Applications will be closed at 5pm on March 2. For enquiries, please call the enquiry numbers of the training institutes.
Note: "Attained" in Citizenship and Social Development will be accepted as Level 2.
Source: AI-found images
