Photo: VCG
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced on Monday that it attracted a record high of direct investment from the Chinese mainland and overseas, reflecting the strong appeal of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as a leading business hub in the world.
InvestHK said it has helped 539 overseas and Chinese mainland companies establish or expand operations in the city – marking a 41-percent growth year-on-year.
InvestHK is a HKSAR government department responsible for inbound direct investment.
The robust direct investment that Hong Kong received last year, was driven by investments in a wide range of diverse, and high-value industries. Those investments contributed over HK$67.7 billion ($8.6 billion) to Hong Kong’s economy in 2024, which also represents a record high.
The top origin locations of direct investments in Hong Kong include Chinese mainland, US, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
The top five sectors receiving the investments are of innovation and technology, financial services and fin-tech, tourism and hospitality, family offices, as well as business and professional services.
The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Alpha Lau, said that the results in 2024 reflect overseas and Chinese mainland enterprises having full confidence in Hong Kong, selecting the city as a base to expand their regional operations in the region, leveraging the unique opportunities Hong Kong offers as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”, according to InvestHK.
“Looking ahead, we are committed to enhancing quality and creating new opportunities… And we will explore emerging markets and strengthen our promotional efforts in places along the Belt and Road, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations economies and Eastern Europe, to assist local companies to expand their regional operations via Hong Kong,” Lau noted.
The HKSAR government’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, along with InvestHK, announced on January 7 the details of enhancement measures for New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, which will take effect from March 1, 2025.
Global Times