Financial Secretary Paul Chan said that "everything is negotiable" when it comes to attracting leading tech and industrial firms to the Northern Metropolis.

His remarks came as he delivered a keynote speech at the inaugural Global Business Summit in Wan Chai, which is featured during the annual Asian Financial Forum with some 150 global leaders in attendance.

Chan said the government is dedicated to expediting the development of the Northern Metropolis to better facilitate tech growth.

He noted that the SAR government welcomes tech and industrial enterprises to set up shop there.

"Where justified, we are prepared to tailor incentive packages, which may include land grants, premium concessions, tax incentives and other facilitation measures. Everything is negotiable," Chan told participants.

"Specific arrangements will be considered in light of factors such as the frontier technologies and investment to be brought in, the project's economic benefits, the jobs to be created and the extent to which the project will strengthen Hong Kong's innovation ecosystem."

Chan said the government is offering "more flexible" models in developing the mega infrastructure project, noting that specific schemes with great impacts could enjoy "large-scale" land disposals.

He added that the city could offer a whole range of funding options to support tech firms to grow at different stages.

The finance minister pointed out that the government has already invested over HK$200 billion to drive innovation and tech growth in recent years, and that the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has attracted more than 100 strategic companies to Hong Kong over the past three years.

The firms, he said, are expected to create over 22,000 jobs while bringing in investment topping HK$60 billion, strengthening the city's value chains and innovation ecosystem.