Chief Executive John Lee on Wednesday said he had briefed Premier Li Qiang on Hong Kong's latest social and economic development, when the premier visited the SAR's exhibition pavilions at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

Lee also said that he was very confident that Hong Kong firms could make use of this occasion to promote their products and tap into the mainland markets.

Posting on his social media, Lee said he had reported the city's latest international rankings and various strengths to the premier, including how it's ranked as the freest economy and the third-ranked financial hub in the world, while being a popular arbitration centre.

He added this showed the SAR's administration and people's livelihood have improved over the years, under the backing from Beijing, and that the government would continue to unite all sectors to serve the country with its advantages.

Earlier, Lee also exchanged views with representatives from various booths at the "Hong Kong Services" and "Hong Kong Food" exhibition halls at the expo.

Speaking to media, Lee noted more than 380 Hong Kong firms were represented at the Shanghai CIIE expo this year, the highest number on record, and 30 percent more than last year.

Within the Hong Kong exhibition halls, 54 SAR firms were featured, with over 40 percent of them marking their first appearance at the CIIE trade show.

"I'm very pleased that during my conversations with different participating companies, they all seemed very confident that they could utilise this platform to promote their products," he told reporters.

"I also hope that all good brands from Hong Kong, as well as their products, would be welcomed by people from different places. I have great confidence as well as high hope in their participation in the exhibition this time," he added.

Separately, Lee said the SAR government would hold a large-scale promotional event on how the city could help mainland companies go global.

The event will be held by the "GoGlobal" task force that was launched last month.