Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closes 0.13 pct lower

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.13 percent to close at 24,314.17 points on Wednesday.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 0.1 percent to end at 8,183.17 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index rose 0.91 percent to end at 4,174.47 points.

China's foreign-invested enterprises posted record trade volumes in the first three quarters of 2026, with imports and exports growing steadily and high-tech exports surging, according to the latest customs data released on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Wang Jun, spokesman and deputy head of the General Administration of Customs, said foreign-invested enterprises are an important force in China's foreign trade.

"Foreign-invested enterprises are an important force in China's foreign trade and both participants in and beneficiaries of 'China Opportunity 2.0.' In the first three quarters of this year, their imports and exports reached 11.69 trillion yuan (1.75 trillion U.S. dollars), up 19 percent year on year -- a record high for the corresponding period in history," Wang said.

A wide range of foreign-invested enterprises are embracing the opportunities created by China's industrial upgrading and new quality productive forces development, Wang said, adding that they are integrating deeply into the country's industrial and innovation chains while continuing to root themselves more firmly in the Chinese market and scale up their investments.

"China has a population of over 1.4 billion and more than 400 million middle-income earners, and has been the world's second-largest importer for 17 consecutive years. This mega-market offers foreign-invested enterprises broad development space and long-term, stable growth prospects. In the first three quarters of this year, imports by foreign-invested enterprises grew 21.1 percent year on year," Wang said.

In particular, consumer goods imports by foreign-invested enterprises in China accounted for 34.5 percent of the country's total consumer goods imports. In the nine-month period, watches and clothing accounted for 83.4 percent and 62.3 percent of China's total imports in their respective categories.

In the first three quarters, foreign-invested enterprises in China traded 7.9 trillion yuan (1.18 trillion U.S. dollars) in intermediate goods, up 27.4 percent year on year. Key components for advanced manufacturing including electronic components, computer parts, and aircraft parts saw robust two-way flows.

More and more foreign-invested enterprises are achieving their own growth and development while continuing to deepen their presence in the Chinese market. In the first three quarters, more than 150 foreign-invested enterprises recorded import-export volumes exceeding 10 billion yuan (1.49 billion U.S. dollars), 20 more than the same period of last year.

"China's rich pool of high-quality human resources, favorable innovation environment, and diverse application scenarios help enterprises carry out technological research and development and bring products to the market, accelerating product iteration and upgrading for foreign-invested enterprises in China. In the first three quarters, exports by foreign-invested enterprises grew 17.2 percent year on year, with high-tech product exports surging 42.1 percent, significantly higher than their overall export growth," Wang said.

Currently, all foreign investment access restrictions in the manufacturing sector have been fully lifted, and national treatment for foreign-invested enterprises is being steadily implemented.

More foreign-invested enterprises are expected to firmly deepen their footprint in China, succeed and grow together with Chinese firms, and share in "China Opportunity 2.0" together, according to Wang.