HK tops global IPO rankings, strengthens support for 15th Five-Year Plan: HKEX chairman

Hong Kong has climbed to the top of global initial public offering (IPO) rankings and is set to further boost China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), according to Carlson Tong, Chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX).

During a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of the ongoing 2026 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Tong said the Hong Kong stock market underwent a transformational shift in 2025, driven by surging capital inflows and heightened trading activity.

The city ranked first worldwide in IPO fundraising, raising around 36 billion U.S. dollars. Three of the world's top 10 IPOs were Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong SAR, highlighting the market's appeal to global investors.

"Hong Kong is the connector for China and the rest of the world. We attract global capital through Hong Kong into Chinese shares and vice versa. In fact, the Connect Scheme, where there's a special channel allowing overseas investors through Hong Kong to invest in Chinese A-shares, and also Chinese Mainland investors through Hong Kong to invest in overseas stocks; that trade volume has increased a lot. The Northbound Connect, which is overseas investors into A-shares, that went up to 41 percent. And the Southbound Connect, which is Chinese Mainland investors buying Hong Kong shares, went up 151 percent," said Tong.

Looking ahead, Tong said HKEX will play a more active role in supporting China's 15th Five-Year Plan, particularly in financing technological innovation and promoting the international use of the renminbi.

"Raising capital for Chinese technology companies is obviously one aspect of the 15th Five-Year Plan. And renminbi internationalization is something we're obviously looking at, where I think we can play a role. We're trying to introduce more renminbi products, but then you need people to use it. And I think now, as China opens up and people start to invest, and China invests in overseas and also overseas invests in China, then there will be increased demand in renminbi. So all these hang together, and we will play our part in pushing and promoting renminbi internationalization," he said.

With the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue," the 2026 annual meeting of WEF meeting opened on Monday and will run through Friday. About 3,000 leaders and experts from around the world are gathering to discuss five pressing global challenges, including enhancing cooperation, unlocking new sources of growth and deploying innovation at scale and responsibly.

HK tops global IPO rankings, strengthens support for 15th Five-Year Plan: HKEX chairman

The Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul has assisted a group of tourists from the Taiwan region to return home, after they were stranded in Türkiye due to the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

After being stranded for about five days, the 93 Taiwan compatriots started to board China Eastern Airlines’ flights to Shanghai in batches.

This group of Taiwan compatriots were from three Middle Eastern tour groups arranged by the same travel agency in Taiwan.

They had originally planned to return to Taipei via Abu Dhabi, UAE, after their Istanbul trip. However, following the US-Israel military strikes against Iran on Feb 28, many Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights.

"To be honest, I've never encountered this situation in my entire life," said one of the Taiwan compatriots.

"My teacher kept calling to ask when I'd be back because I was constantly revising my leave application, they thought I was missing," said another.

During their stay, the group members changed their tickets at least four times, but the flight schedules all showed indefinite delays, causing them great anxiety.

"In the past few days, we've seen news from the mainland saying they can help us by sending planes to expedite our return," said another tourist from Taiwan.

"These Taiwan compatriots contacted our Consulate General in Istanbul through the consular protection hotline. Our consulate leadership attached great importance to this situation and immediately coordinated with relevant domestic departments, including immigration and border control, as well as airlines, to coordinate getting them on board," said Sui Kaige, director of Consular Affairs Section at the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul.

"We also provide Taiwan compatriots with assurances on flight seats to meet their needs," said Li Ge, general manager of China Eastern Airlines' Istanbul office.

Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul assists stranded Taiwan compatriots to return home