Hong Kong Trade Development Council is committed to connecting businesses with opportunities via Hong Kong
By Silas Chu, Regional Director, Europe, Central Asia & Israel
Hong Kong is back, with lines of travellers at the city’s international airport, West Kowloon high-speed railway station and for shuttle bus services across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Between 5 and 10 April, the end of Easter break, the first long holiday since travel restrictions were lifted, more than 4 million people have entered or left Hong Kong.
Last December, Hong Kong began gradually to relax social distancing measures. In February, borders with the Chinese mainland reopened and in March, the compulsory wearing of face masks, the very last restriction ended. The number of travellers has risen quickly. In February Hong Kong airport welcomed 2,146,000 passengers, an increase of over 2,392 percent compared with February last year.
Many large-scale international events have returned to Hong Kong.
Early March, the 39th HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show and the 9th HKTDC Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show gathered over 2,500 exhibitors and attracted over 60,000 buyers from 130 countries and regions.
Late March, thousands flocked to Art Basel Hong Kong, one of Asia’s leading art fairs, to view works from 177 top galleries from 32 countries and regions. The Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, held from March 31 to April 2, attracted about 75,000 spectators.
The return of visitors and businessmen serves as a prelude to the resilience of the city as an international business hub and its new offerings in art, culture, and innovation give new impetus to its economic growth and driver seat of the regional integration with the GBA cities and RCEP economies.
Recently, the HKSAR Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address a wide array of incentives and measures to attract international strategic enterprises and investments to Hong Kong, particularly in areas such as life sciences, health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, financial technology, advanced manufacturing, and new energy technology.
As a two-way platform between China and the world and one of the world’s top financial centres, Hong Kong has been supporting businesses and investors worldwide to tap into the vast China and Asia markets and has been playing a major role in the global financial system.
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China. It is committed to connecting businesses with opportunities via Hong Kong, promoting the city’s advantages to the global business community and strengthening its role as a world-class business hub, and a two-way investment and trade platform for GBA, ASEAN and RCEP.
We enrich our deal-making work through major conferences, including Asian Financial Forum, Belt and Road Summit and other events, to facilitate tripartite cooperation between service providers, investors, and project owners. We promote key opportunities in tech and innovation, medical and healthcare, and sustainability in our industry events.
This year, besides the year-round sourcing with HKTDC’s Exhibition+ model and Click2Match digital service, the HKTDC has launched a new Business of Innovation and Technology Week with a new InnoEx fair in April and an International Healthcare Week, integrating the Asia Summit on Global Health and Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair in May.
Our anchor event for the year as to relaunch Hong Kong after three long years of pandemic is our signature promotion Think Business, Think Hong Kong.
“Think Business, Think Hong Kong” is a global programme promoting bilateral trade and investment between Hong Kong and key international partners. Since 2011, the programme has fortified Hong Kong’s business ties with countries like Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Among all mature markets and to reflect the importance and optimism we attach to Europe and France in particular; this year’s edition will be held in Paris on 19 September.
Joined by a large Hong Kong business delegation comprising CEOs, investors, innovators, start-ups and professional service providers, the group will meet with over 1,000 French and European companies with an interest in doing business in Asia and share their perspectives about the market potential and areas of collaboration with Hong Kong.
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