Hong Kong Hosts Conference to Support Mainland Enterprises in Global Expansion Strategy

Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference held in Shanghai (with photos/video)

​The Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), was held today (November 6) in Shanghai. The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, delivered a speech at the Promotion Conference. The event highlighted Hong Kong's unique strengths and role in assisting Mainland enterprises in expanding internationally, with a view to encouraging them to use Hong Kong as a platform for going global to tap into overseas markets.

​To better support Mainland enterprises in going global, this year's Policy Address announced the establishment of the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force), chaired by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, and comprising the HKTDC, Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Hong Kong's offices on the Mainland, and relevant "Team Hong Kong" organisations, to proactively engage Mainland enterprises to go global via Hong Kong. The Promotion Conference, being the GoGlobal Task Force's first large-scale promotional event on the Mainland and under the theme "Hong Kong, joining hands with Shanghai to go global", brought together a number of heavyweight speakers to share Hong Kong's advantages in different areas and attracted 500 participants.

​Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lee noted that the country is implementing a high-level strategy of two-way opening up to encourage Mainland enterprises to go global, and the momentum of Mainland enterprises' international expansion is accelerating. Mr Lee said that under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong enjoys the advantage of connecting the Mainland and the world, serving as an international financial, shipping and trade centre. The city attracts global capital and top talent and boasts a highly internationalised business environment, world-class professional services, a common law system aligned with global financial centres, a simple and transparent tax regime, and an extensive logistics network. These core strengths make Hong Kong the best platform for Mainland enterprises to go global.

​Noting that the country is expanding the scope of its high-level opening up, Mr Lee said both Shanghai and Hong Kong play crucial roles in supporting regional co-ordinated development and complement each other. Hong Kong will continue to leverage its distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, actively dovetail with national strategies, and work with the Mainland to create a new chapter of mutually beneficial co-operation.

​In his remarks on using Hong Kong as a platform to go global, Mr Yau noted that with the unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong is able to integrate deeply into the overall national development while maintaining seamless alignment with international rules, giving full play to its role as a pivotal platform and serving as the base for Mainland enterprises expanding overseas. The GoGlobal Task Force will establish an efficient, effective and unprecedented one-stop support platform for Mainland enterprises going global, strengthening assistance for them to systematically expand international operations via Hong Kong amid the ever-changing geopolitical landscape.

​He added that the GoGlobal Task Force will continue to organise promotional activities across various provinces on the Mainland, proactively engaging with Mainland enterprises. Leveraging Hong Kong's distinctive advantages, robust legal environment and open economy, as well as a professional and efficient team with international exposure, the GoGlobal Task Force will join hands with Mainland enterprises in advancing into international markets.

​The Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip; the Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Ms Maggie Wong; the Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau; and the Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology), Dr Ge Ming, among others, also attended the Promotion Conference.

​The Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xu Qifang; Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Mr Wu Wei; the Deputy Director General of the Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, Mr Wang Qi; and the Chairman of the HKTDC, Professor Frederick Ma, also addressed the Promotion Conference.

​A number of Hong Kong business leaders were invited to attend and speak at the Promotion Conference, including the Chairman of Fung Investments, Dr Victor Fung; the Chairman of Shanghai Industrial Investment (Holdings) Company Limited, Ms Leng Weiqing; the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Dr Sunny Chai; Deputy Chief Executive of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Wang Huabin; the Chairman of Ernst & Young (EY) China and Regional Managing Partner of EY Greater China, Mr Jack Chan; Partner at Haiwen & Partners LLP Mr Edward Liu; and the Chairman of Dongchao Information Technology (Shanghai) Company Limited, Mr Wang Chaoyou. They highlighted Hong Kong's strengths in innovation and technology, financial services and professional services, encouraging Mainland enterprises to leverage Hong Kong's international platform to go global, and explored ways to realise complementary advantages in such sectors to jointly seize emerging opportunities in overseas markets. The Mainland enterprise representatives also shared their successful experiences of using Hong Kong as a gateway to go global.

In the afternoon, two thematic networking sessions on serving Mainland enterprises seeking to go global and innovation and technology were hosted by Ms Lau and Dr Ge respectively for in-depth promotion to Mainland enterprises of the opportunities in going global via Hong Kong. In addition, relevant experts and enterprise representatives invited by InvestHK shared experiences and successful case studies on leveraging Hong Kong's platform in going global. Key issues of concern for enterprises expanding overseas, such as legal compliance, market development and financing, were thoroughly discussed, further enhancing Mainland enterprises' understanding of Hong Kong's professional services and the one-stop support provided by the GoGlobal Task Force for attracting them to seek going global via Hong Kong.

Mr Lee and the delegation will return to Hong Kong this afternoon.

Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference held in Shanghai (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference held in Shanghai (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference held in Shanghai (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong - The Ideal Platform for Mainland Enterprises in Going Global Promotion Conference held in Shanghai (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by CE at Fourth Edition of Women Power Forum

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Fourth Edition of Women Power Forum today (April 1):

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to join you, today, for the fourth Women Power Forum, delighted to be here among so many esteemed female leaders and distinguished guests.

They say women hold up half the sky, and in today's Hong Kong, that is exactly what we see.

In the private sector, a growing number of listed companies now have a good number of female directors, and women's participation in corporate leadership continues to rise. In the professional world, more than half of our accountants and lawyers are women. And within the Government, eight out of 15 directors of bureaux, along with the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, are women. Forty-nine per cent of our civilian civil servants are also women.

In short, women are both the leaders and the backbone of our economy and our government. Hong Kong is clearly far better because of it, because of the women of Hong Kong. Very proud of you all.

Hong Kong's achievements stand as a powerful testament to our unwavering commitment to women's development and gender equality.

We champion these goals because we recognise a fundamental truth: that women's progress is not just a women's issue; it is a shared responsibility, one that benefits everyone. In Hong Kong and around the world.

That's why the theme of this year's Women Power Forum is "Women Across Nations: Unite to Prosper." Working together, we can continue to drive progress, locally, regionally and globally.

I wish you all a rewarding Forum and, for those of you here from outside Hong Kong, an enjoyable stay in the world's rising East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Thank you.

Source: AI-found images