Hong Kong Promotes Business and Investment Opportunities in Singapore and Vietnam Through Seminars and Forums in 2026.

2026-02-14 11:00 Last Updated At：11:08

Singapore ETO continues business and investment promotion in Singapore and Vietnam

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (Singapore ETO) is continuing its efforts to promote business and investment in 2026, focusing on its two major markets, Singapore and Vietnam. In January, three technology-focused business and investment seminars were organised, attracting more than 260 business owners, senior executives and industry practitioners interested in exploring opportunities in Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Two of the seminars were co-organised with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) under the Economic and Trade Express (ETE) to promote the platform's services.

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Singapore ETO continues business and investment promotion in Singapore and Vietnam Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Singapore ETO continues business and investment promotion in Singapore and Vietnam Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

On January 28, the Singapore ETO and the GBA Entrepreneurs Alliance co-organised the Vietnam - China Cooperation Forum on Artificial Intelligence and Green Technology 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. The forum attracted over 120 participants from government agencies, business chambers, technology enterprises and professional sectors, including the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in HCMC, Mr Tang Li as well as ,the Chairman of the GBA Entrepreneurs Alliance, Dr Jonathan Choi.

In her opening remarks, the Director of the Singapore ETO (designate), Ms Elsa Hung, highlighted Hong Kong's close and growing ties with Vietnam. She emphasised Hong Kong's unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle in connecting the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world, as well as its role as an international financial centre, international trade centre and international innovation and technology hub.

Ms Hung introduced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's initiatives to promote the development and adoption of AI and to advance green technology, including funding earmarked for the establishment of the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute.

She also underscored Hong Kong's internationalised business environment, world-class professional services, common law system that is internationally compatible, simple and low-tax regime, and extensive logistics network. These strengths position Hong Kong as an ideal platform for Mainland enterprises seeking to expand globally, while attracting international capital and talent to seize opportunities in the GBA and beyond.

The forum featured thematic sessions on digital transformation, AI-driven smart manufacturing, green transition, carbon reduction, cross-border e-commerce ecosystems and green finance, and more. Participants exchanged practical insights and explored collaboration opportunities during the networking session.

An opening ceremony was also held for the Sunwah China Enterprise Overseas Cooperation Center (Vietnam), which seeks to serve as a comprehensive platform to facilitate investment, trade, innovation and industrial co-operation among Vietnam, the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong. Ms Hung witnessed the exchange of 15 Memoranda of Understanding and co-operation agreements signed between the Centre and partner enterprises from the three places.

The Singapore ETO is also committed to supporting and promoting ETE, a functional platform established through the joint efforts of the economic and trade offices, InvestHK and the HKTDC to assist Hong Kong small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups in exploring overseas markets through business missions and one-stop support services, while attracting more enterprises to invest and establish operations in Hong Kong.

On January 15, a seminar and networking event titled "From Hong Kong to the World for Tech Enterprises: Leveraging Hong Kong's Tech Strengths to Go Global" was held in HCMC, bringing together 80 senior technology and business leaders from Vietnamese enterprises. The event provided practical insights into Hong Kong's innovation and technology ecosystem and how Hong Kong and the GBA can serve as a strategic platform for global expansion.

On January 29, a seminar themed "From Hong Kong to the World: Empowering Growth for Tech Enterprises in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area" was co-organised by the Singapore ETO and SGTech in Singapore, attracting around 60 industry practitioners. The session explored Hong Kong's role as a gateway to the Chinese Mainland, opportunities arising from innovation-driven growth in the Northern Metropolis, and the city's advantages in taxation and legal systems.

At both events, the Director of the Singapore ETO, Mr Owin Fung, highlighted the HKSAR Government's strong, sector-focused support measures and encouraged start-ups across major technology domains to explore expansion into Hong Kong or collaboration with Hong Kong's enterprises. Representatives from InvestHK and the HKTDC also shared their perspectives.

The Singapore ETO will continue to promote Hong Kong's strengths as a "super connector" and "super value-adder", deepen economic and innovation collaboration with Association of Southeast Asian Nations partners, support Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland enterprises in going global, and attract more foreign enterprises to invest and operate in Hong Kong as well as the GBA.

FEHD Increases Inspections of Poon Choi for Chinese New Year to Ensure Food Safety

FEHD steps up inspections of food premises selling poon choi during Chinese New Year period

With the Chinese New Year around the corner, the demand for poon choi as a festive food for meal gatherings has significantly increased. A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (February 14) that the department has stepped up inspections of food premises across the territory that sell poon choi, and the operation will continue throughout the Chinese New Year period to safeguard food safety and protect public health.

The spokesman said, "Given that poon choi contains a wide variety of ingredients and involves more complicated preparation and storage procedures, the FEHD has stepped up targeted inspections of relevant premises. Special attention is paid to food preparation and handling, storage, reheating and transportation processes to ensure compliance with the safety standards and relevant legislation. The FEHD will take stringent follow-up actions against any violation identified."

The spokesman said the focuses of the inspections include checking the temperature control of poon choi production and storage to ensure that hot food is kept at or above 60 degrees Celsius while cold food is kept at or below 4 degrees C, and to avoid prolonged storage of food in the danger zone of temperature between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C. In addition, the inspections also aim to check if raw and cooked foods are separately handled and stored to prevent cross-contamination, the personal hygiene of food handlers and the availability of adequate facilities and cleansing consumables for handwashing at the premises.

Moreover, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the FEHD has earlier completed a seasonal food surveillance project on the microbiological quality of poon choi. Poon choi samples were collected from different retailers (including online retailers) to test for food poisoning organisms including Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and all samples passed the tests.

To enhance the trade's awareness of food safety of poon choi, the FEHD officers will distribute leaflets on food safety to operators of relevant premises during inspections, reminding them to adhere to Good Hygiene Practices. It includes proper control of reheating time and temperature, shortening of time for storing food at room temperature and maintenance of appropriate temperatures during transportation. The operators are also urged to clearly notify the customers of the optimal time for collection and reheating methods before consumption of poon choi to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

The FEHD appeals to food businesses to follow the food safety advice below when producing and supplying poon choi:

- ensure that adequate manpower, space, ingredients and facilities such as stoves, refrigerators and hot-holding equipment are available before making poon choi;

- do not entertain orders beyond handling capacity;

- purchase food ingredients from reliable suppliers;

- plan the preparation schedule carefully so that foods that are perishable or easily contaminated are not cooked too far in advance;

- train temporary food handlers before preparation of poon choi to make sure that they are familiar with the working environment and adhere to safe food preparation practices;

- maintain good personal hygiene, and wash hands with liquid soap for at least 20 seconds before handling food to reduce the risk of food contamination;

- cook all ingredients thoroughly with the core temperature reaching 75 degrees C or above for at least 30 seconds;

- keep hot poon choi above 60 degrees C and chilled poon choi at 4 degrees C or below in the refrigerator till it reaches the customers;

- provide written consumption instructions to remind customers of the proper method of storing poon choi that if not for immediate consumption, hot poon choi should be kept at above 60 degrees C while chilled poon choi should be kept in the refrigerator at 4 degrees C or below and be thoroughly reheated before consumption; and

- deliver poon choi to the destination as soon as possible and avoid keeping it under room temperature for prolonged period.

Members of the public should pay attention to the followings when purchasing poon choi:

- order poon choi from reputable licensed shops;

- consume the poon choi as soon as possible after it is collected or cooked, and not to keep it under room temperature for more than two hours;

- keep chilled poon choi at 4 degrees C or below to minimise its exposure to the danger zone of temperature between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C, thereby reducing the risk of bacterial growth;

- the poon choi should be thoroughly reheated before consumption and consumed as soon as possible, or kept at temperatures above 60 degrees C;

- as poon choi is generally served in a large pot, a longer period of time is required to reheat it thoroughly with the core temperature reaching 75 degrees C or above for at least 30 seconds; and

- maintain a balanced diet and avoid eating too much food with high levels of energy, sugar, salt or fat.

For more food safety information, please visit the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk).

Hong Kong Promotes Business and Investment Opportunities in Singapore and Vietnam Through Seminars and Forums in 2026.

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