HKTDC Launches GreenBiz HK Campaign in Bangkok to Drive Regional Sustainable Development

 The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organised the GreenBiz HK campaign in Bangkok – comprising a GreenBiz HK Forum with dedicated thematic sessions, networking events and business matching meetings– alongside a Hong Kong Green Team delegation. The campaign aims to foster collaboration between Hong Kong and Thailand in the green economy.

One of the highlights, the GreenBiz HK Forum, was held on March 18th at the Grande Centre Point Lumphini Hotel, attracting over 550 representatives from government and business across Thailand. Dr Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, was the Guest of Honour and delivered opening remarks at the forum. The forum promoted exchange in green finance, green technology, supply chain and sustainable smart city development, strengthening the long-standing Hong Kong-Thai economic and business ties, while showcasing Hong Kong’s role as an international green finance and innovation hub.

Anna Cheung, Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “Hong Kong is well established as a superconnector and super value-adder. Its thriving ecosystem for green innovation and sustainable development combines policy support with strong finance flows, targeted R&D funding, dedicated innovation clusters and scalable solutions. To promote the city’s status as an international green finance and innovation centre, GreenBiz HK enables business leaders and experts from Hong Kong and Thailand across different fields to exchange practical insights and experiences, while exploring mutually beneficial opportunities and partnerships that align with global trends.”

Dr Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok said: “The green transition is not a challenge any city or country can address alone—it requires strong partnerships, shared vision, and collective action across the public and private sectors.”; “The GreenBiz HK Forum is an important platform connecting Hong Kong’s green strengths with Bangkok’s sustainable development ambitions through meaningful business partnerships.”

In the “Hong Kong-Thailand Partnerships for Sustainability and Innovation” plenary session, leading government and business figures from Hong Kong and Thailand explored cross‑border collaboration in green finance, innovation and sustainable development. Ms Chaoni Huang, Executive Vice President of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA); Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance and Transition, Asia, HSBC, Dr Kang Qu, Managing Director of Sustainability Strategy at Bank of China (Hong Kong), together with Dr Kim Mak, Chairman of ATAL Engineering Group and Mr John Lo, Founder of the Asia Carbon Institute, highlighted Hong Kong’s strengths as an international green finance hub and demonstrated how innovative financing tools are accelerating corporate ESG transformation.

Dr Kim Mak, Chairman of ATAL Engineering Group, discussed the latest applications of green technologies, green buildings and smart city solutions, while Mr John Lo, Founder of the Asia Carbon Institute, shared practical insights on decarbonisation and ESG strategies. Mr Huang Weiwei, Chief Strategic Development Officer of China and Senior Vice Chairman of CP China, Charoen Pokphand Group from Thailand presented the company’s experience in renewable energy and environmental technologies, noting how Hong Kong’s capital platforms, professional services and global connectivity can support Thai enterprises in advancing the Bio–Circular–Green (BCG) economic model and expanding overseas. The session underscored the potential for deeper collaboration in green finance, sustainable technology and urban innovation.

Two concurrent breakout sessions further deepened Hong Kong-Thailand cooperation in sustainable technology and future city development. The “Driving a Sustainable Tomorrow through Green Technology and Integrated Design” session focused on how green technologies, sustainable architecture, landscape solutions, energy-saving systems, renewable energy and smart city applications enhance urban resilience. Speakers from the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), Henderson Land, Arup and Otherland Limited discussed integrated design and innovative technologies that support citywide decarbonisation. Dr Krithpaka Boonfueng, Executive Director of Thailand’s National Innovation Agency, shared Thailand’s progress in smart city development and expressed interest in leveraging Hong Kong’s multi-disciplinary strengths to accelerate regional sustainability. The second session, “Building Smarter, Greener and Healthier Cities: A Collaborative Initiative Between Hong Kong and Thailand and Opportunities for the Green Supply Chain in the Region”, supported by BEAM Society Limited and the Hong Kong Green Building Council, examined green building standards, low-carbon construction and developments in the regional green supply chain.

Through targeted project matching, technical sharing and discussions, participants were able to translate the forum’s dialogue into concrete partnership opportunities, supporting practical progress in green technology, urban innovation and energy transition. The sessions strengthened business ties between Hong Kong and Thailand, accelerating cross‑border collaboration and enabling enterprises to jointly capture emerging opportunities in the green economy.

GreenBiz HK campaign in Bangkok is one of the key events under the Economic and Trade Express (ETE), a functional platform designed to help Hong Kong SMEs and start-ups explore business opportunities in overseas markets, while bringing in more enterprises to invest in and establish businesses in Hong Kong. The campaign’s networking luncheon was supported by Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Bangkok, facilitating meaningful engagement between Hong Kong and the local business community.

The HKTDC also organised a Hong Kong Green Team delegation from 17 to 20 March to explore the burgeoning green market opportunities in Thailand. The delegation, co-led by Ms Anna Cheung and Ir Dr Lo Wai Kwok, GBS, MH, JP, Chairman of the HKTDC Infrastructure Development Advisory Committee, comprised 18 delegates from Hong Kong, representing a diverse spectrum of integrated green services, including architecture, engineering, smart city development, ESG advisory, green technology and more. Meetings with industry associations and major developers, such as the Thai Green Building Institute (TGBI), The Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO), WHA Industrial Development and TPI Polene Public Company Limited, provided opportunities for Hong Kong delegates to explore partnerships with local Thai firms.

GreenBiz HK brings together Hong Kong’s green service providers across green finance, ESG advisory, green building, property technology and smart city solutions, fostering cross‑sector collaboration and industry advancement. The initiative encourages businesses to leverage Hong Kong’s mature capital market, financial expertise and professional services to support green and sustainable investment, certification and development and capture growth opportunities driven by the global green economy. The HKTDC will continue to use this platform to organise business missions, thematic conferences and networking activities, supporting enterprises in Southeast Asia and the Chinese Mainland in leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths in finance and innovation to expand internationally and advance sustainable development across the region.

GreenBiz HK Forum highlights in Bangkok

GreenBiz HK Forum was held today in Bangkok, attracting over 550 representatives from government and business sectors across Thailand. The forum brought together business leaders from Hong Kong and Thailand to explore cross‑border collaboration in green finance, innovation and sustainable development

Anna Chueng, Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, delivered welcome remarks at the forum

Dr Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, delivered opening remarks at the forum

Ir Dr Lo Wai Kwok, Chairman of the HKTDC Infrastructure Development Advisory Committee, delivered welcoming remarks at the networking luncheon

A one-on-one business matching session was arranged during the GreenBiz HK Forum, enabling companies and experts from both economies to connect

“Hong Kong Green Team” Delegation engages with Thai industry bodies to explore cooperation opportunities

Hong Kong is seen as a priority market and an essential trading partner by many of Italy’s increasingly Asia-focused businesses. This is among the key findings of a new report – Italian Companies’ Asian Expansion Priorities: Innovation, Healthcare and Retail Sectors – jointly conducted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Milan-headquartered Italy China Council Foundation (ICCF).

The research forms part of the forthcoming edition of the HKTDC’s signature promotion campaign Think Business, Think Hong Kong (TBTHK), set to take place in Milan, Italy on 27 November. The event will bring together over 700 business leaders, officials and investors from both Hong Kong and Italy to discover business and partnership opportunities in Asia.

Primarily targeted at Italian companies with business in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and Asia, the research survey was conducted in Q3 2025, covering 172 Italian C-suite and senior business leaders.

Commenting on the significance of the report, Irina Fan, Director of HKTDC Research, said: “According to the survey findings, 77% of Italian businesses are genuinely enthusiastic when it comes to expanding in Asia, with the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong being their priority markets.”

“It is particularly gratifying to see Hong Kong poised to play such a vital role in facilitating the Asia expansion of such businesses. When asked about how Hong Kong can facilitate Italian business expansion in Asia over the next three years, some 93% of respondents believe Hong Kong can effectively support their future Asia expansion plans. Its unrivalled status as a strategic gateway to many Asian markets, as well as its capabilities as a logistics and supply chain management hub, were also widely acknowledged,” she added.

Facilitating expansion and leveraging trade agreements

When it came to future opportunities, the survey also highlighted the relatively limited awareness and low utilisation of many regional trade agreements. In particular, two agreements emerged as having significant potential to transform the commercial relationship between Hong Kong and Italy.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is the world’s largest free trade agreement, encompassing the ASEAN bloc, the Chinese Mainland, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. While 51% of respondents are currently capitalising on its benefits, huge untapped potential remains. Should Hong Kong’s application to join the RCEP be successful, 60% of Italian enterprises anticipate that it would unlock new economic opportunities and strengthen their engagement with the city.

Another pivotal agreement is the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), which has provided Hong Kong-based suppliers of goods and services with privileged access to the vast Chinese Mainland market since 2003. Despite CEPA having been in place for many years, some 80% of the Italian businesses surveyed were unaware of the agreement or how to leverage its benefits. This reveals a major opportunity, as only 12% are currently making use of CEPA’s advantages through strategic partnerships in Hong Kong.

Putting the survey and its findings into perspective, Sara Berloto, Head of Research for the ICCF, said: “The survey highlighted many Italian companies can better leverage several existing regional trade agreements. This was most notably the case with the RCEP and CEPA. Overall, there is a real need for comprehensive information, training, and institutional support initiatives in order to ensure companies — especially SMEs — can heighten their strategic utilisation of such agreements.”

Apparent opportunities amid already strong ties
Looking at the broader picture, the scale of opportunity available to Hong Kong SMEs is striking. Most notably, 77% of Italian companies plan to expand within Asia over the next three years, with the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and India cited as their preferred markets.

By sector, 95% of Italian innovation and technology companies plan to expand in Asia, followed by 88% of healthcare companies and 86% of enterprises in the retail /wholesale sector. These findings align well with Hong Kong's new industry focus on innovation and technology, the life sciences and healthtech, as well as the raft of ambitious e-commerce initiatives the city has committed to.

Such developments would further enhance the strong business relationship between Italy and Hong Kong. In 2024, trade between the two amounted to US$8.3 billion (HK$64.5 billion), positioning Italy as Hong Kong’s fourth-largest EU trading partner and export market and its third-largest EU import market.

As of the end of 2023, Hong Kong was the third most significant destination for Italian investment in Asia. Hong Kong investors also made substantial investments in Italy, with the city being the third-largest Asian investor in the country. As of 2024, there were some 200 Italian companies active in Hong Kong.

Think Business, Think Hong Kong
The full survey report will be launched at TBTHK in Milan on 27 November.

After successful Paris and Jakarta editions, TBTHK Milan will bring together some 80 delegates from Hong Kong, including government officials, top business and creative industry leaders, corporate service professionals, investors and start-up entrepreneurs, for a day of dialogue, networking and partnership-building with Italian companies keen to expand into Asia.

The mega promotion will feature a symposium and an exhibition comprising the Business Support Zone and InnoVenture Salon, where some 20 Hong Kong service providers and startups will showcase their flagship products and solutions. Business matching meetings will be arranged to facilitate deals and collaborations between Italian and Hong Kong companies. The programme also includes the Hong Kong Dinner. At the symposium, Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR, Prof Frederick Ma, HKTDC Chairman, along with representatives from the Italian government, will deliver remarks. High-profile speakers from various industries will share their insights at the Plenary Session. The agenda also includes five thematic sessions, each dedicated to a strategic area including finance and trade, innovation and technology, global supply chains, as well as creativity and design. These sessions reflect shared priorities between Hong Kong and Italy and offer in-depth insights into practical collaboration opportunities.

(From left) Director of HKTDC Research Irina Fan, Principal Economist (Global Research Team) Alice Tsang and Senior Economist (Global Research Team) Simeon Woo previewed findings of a new report – Italian Companies’ Asian Expansion Priorities: Innovation, Healthcare and Retail Sectors – at a press conference today

Irina Fan, Director of HKTDC Research

Alice Tsang, Principal Economist (Global Research Team), HKTDC

Simeon Woo, Senior Economist (Global Research Team), HKTDC

Following the successful Think Business, Think Hong Kong in Jakarta in January, this mega promotion will take place in Milan, Italy, on 27 November