Hong Kong Celebrates New Year with Economic Growth Highlights at Berlin Reception

HKETO Berlin welcomes Year of Horse

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin), in collaboration with Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, hosted a Chinese New Year reception in Berlin, Germany on February 26 (Berlin time).

The reception brought together esteemed guests from various sectors, including government officials, ambassadors to Germany, business leaders, and media representatives, to celebrate the Year of the Horse. In his welcome remarks, the Director of HKETO Berlin, Mr Indiana Wong, highlighted Hong Kong's robust economic growth and strong performance in the capital market over the past year.

"In 2025, Hong Kong's GDP grew by 3.5 per cent. Our city also regained its position as the world's leading initial public offering fundraising hub, raising more than EUR 30 billion from over 110 new listings. Building on this success, Hong Kong will continue to advance with vitality and strength in the year ahead."

Mr Wong also introduced the innovative measures highlighted in the 2026-27 Budget delivered on February 25 (Hong Kong time). These measures aim to promote diversified development and international co-operation, particularly by leveraging Hong Kong's strengths in innovation and technology and finance. Various preferential policies, including land grant arrangements, financial subsidies and tax incentives, will facilitate the development of overseas and Mainland enterprises in Hong Kong. As an international trade centre with a strategic geographical location, comprehensive infrastructure and a full range of professional services, Hong Kong will continue to play an important role in global trade.

Mr Wong also highlighted that a record-high number of 11 000 overseas companies were located in Hong Kong in 2025, representing an increase of 11 per cent over the previous year. The "Go Global" initiative, in which Hong Kong serves as a "super connector" and "super value-adder", will continue to support Chinese Mainland enterprise in expanding globally and closely connecting with the rest of the world.

Mr Wong also further took the opportunity to promote the "Study in Hong Kong" brand, and Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for cultural exchange and innovation and technology collaboration. The reception featured an energetic freestyle football performance by two young artists from Hong Kong, which captivated the local guests.

About HKETO Berlin

HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.

HKETO Berlin welcomes Year of Horse Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKETO Berlin welcomes Year of Horse Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKETO Berlin welcomes Year of Horse Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKETO Berlin welcomes Year of Horse Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKETO Berlin welcomes Year of Horse Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces 2026-27 Land Sale List

The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, today (February27) announced the Government's 2026-27 Land Sale List.

The 2026-27 Land Sale List covers nine residential sites, capable of providing about 6650 flats, including three residential sites in the pilot area under large-scale land disposal in Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area in the Northern Metropolis, and the tender invitation will close on July 3, 2026.

Apart from sites rolled out by the Government, for railway development and transit-oriented development, projects expected to launch/complete tender in 2026-27 include MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL)’s Tuen Mun A16 Station (Package 2) development project and the residential site earmarked for transit-oriented development for the Smart and Green Mass Transit System in Kai Tak. These two projects are expected to provide a total of about 6810 flats. In addition, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) plans to take forward its projects at To Kwa Wan Road/Wing Kwong Street and Bailey Street, Kowloon City, providing about 2120 flats in total. As for private development/redevelopment projects, with reference to the figures in the past decade, the supply in the next financial year is estimated to be 7000 flats.

Taking into account the estimated land supply from all sources, the private housing land supply in 2026-27 is estimated to have a capacity to produce about 22580 flats. Amongst them, over 15 000 flats (around 70 per cent) are projects led by and co-ordinated by the Government. For the next five years, the Government will make available land for the production of about 98 000 private housing units. The Government will continue to play a co-ordination role and adjust the pace of disposal and other land supply sources. The Government will also continue to announce disposal arrangements on a quarterly basis in a pragmatic and paced manner after careful consideration of market conditions and other relevant factors.

As regards commercial sites, the 2026-27 Budget announced that, in view of the vacancy rate in the non-residential property market, the supply and demand, the Government will not put up general commercial sites for sale in the coming year. That notwithstanding, the Government will continuously review the use of commercial sites for residential or other more flexible uses. For example, the Development Bureau has earlier invited the market to submit expressions of interest for post-secondary student hostel development on three sites originally intended for commercial use, and will put up one or more of these sites in the coming year subject to market response.

As for industrial floor space, the aforementioned tender for the pilot area under large-scale land disposal in Hung Shui Kiu / Ha Tsuen New Development Area includes three Enterprise and Technology Park sites, supplying about 280000 square metres of industry floor area.

Reviewing the private housing land supply in 2025-26, the Government sold all five residential sites rolled out in this financial year and have a total capacity to produce about 2555 flats. Taking into account other sources of land supply, including railway development projects (2 570 flats), projects of the URA (990 flats) and private development/redevelopment projects (including 8 990 flats and 1 405 flats from projects requiring and not requiring lease modification respectively), the aggregate private housing land supply in 2025-26 is estimated to have a capacity to produce about 16510 flats, exceeding the annual supply target (13 200 flats) by around 25 per cent.

For the first quarter of 2026-27, i.e. April to June 2026, the Government will put up for tender a residential site in Tung Chung, which is capable of producing about 990 flats. Ms Linn said that the site sits on a harbourfront location and will be served by the future Tung Chung East Station, which would be attractive to the market. The MTRCL is also considering to put up for tender its development project at Tuen Mun A16 Station (Package 2) during the quarter, providing about 5510 flats. In addition, for private development/redevelopment projects, one lease modification case is expected to be executed in the first quarter, capable of providing about 175 flats. Assuming the above project from the MTRCL will be rolled out in the first quarter, total supply from various sources is expected to be about 6 675 flats.

The Government will continue to make reference to market situation and other supply sources, so as to announce the Land Sale Programme on a quarterly basis. Depending on the market situation, the Government may also put up additional sites to respond to market changes.

The 2026-27 Land Sale List can be found on the Lands Department's website (www.landsd.gov.hk).