InvestHK has hosted a “Hong Kong – Your Platform to Go Global” seminar in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, encouraging companies in Gansu to leverage Hong Kong’s business advantages to access overseas markets through Hong Kong.
The seminar showcased Hong Kong’s business advantages and the latest developments in its modern service industry, updating Gansu company representatives on how their companies could expand overseas via Hong Kong. The event was jointly organised by the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Beijing, the Department of Commerce (DOC) of Gansu Province, and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Gansu Provincial People’s Government. It was also supported by co-organisers including the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Gansu Sub-Council, the Information Office of the Gansu Provincial People’s Government and the Bureau of Economic Cooperation of Gansu Province. The director-general of Investment Promotion, Dr Simon Galpin, and the vice governor of Gansu Province, Xia Hongmin, delivered welcome speeches during the seminar.
Outlining Hong Kong’s enduring business advantages, Galpin said Hong Kong is known for having a business-friendly environment, free flows of capital and information, free trade and a free market economy, a deep pool of international talent, world-class infrastructure, and a sound and independent legal system, plus a low and stable tax regime.
“Against this backdrop, it serves as an ideal testing ground for Mainland companies to ‘go global’, he said.
“As an international city in Asia, Hong Kong offers effective financial, insurance, accounting and legal services, all of which work together to create a comprehensive and modern service industry platform ready to assist Mainland companies. It is also an ideal location for corporate treasury centres. In 2014, Hong Kong ranked second in global foreign direct investment inflows for the first time. Under the ‘One Belt, One Road’ policy, Hong Kong is well positioned to be the ‘super-connector’ between Mainland China and the rest of the world and serves as a hub for service professionals in financing, logistics and transportation, as well as legal services and many other areas. InvestHK will strengthen the co-operation with the provinces and cities along the routes and jointly organise investment promotion activities to encourage companies in the regions to use Hong Kong as the platform to ‘go global’ and promote Hong Kong as the important hub under this policy.”
The Head of the North China Investment Promotion of InvestHK, Matt Hu, shared examples of successful Mainland companies setting up in Hong Kong and the various types of free services and assistance that InvestHK offers to Gansu companies that intend to make use of Hong Kong to “go global”.
The InvestHK delegation hosts a second such seminar in Beijing on Thursday, this one themed “Innovative Entrepreneurship”, presenting Hong Kong’s business advantages to local entrepreneurs and start-ups.