Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Tuesday said Hong Kong’s financial markets have buffered challenges brought by the recent geopolitical situation as the city continues to attract mainland companies to come here.

Speaking at a spring reception jointly hosted by the government investment promotion arm Invest Hong Kong and the Chinese Enterprises Association, Chan said “doing our own thing” is of utmost importance under such global conditions, and the SAR should continue to push for development, as well as speed up the integration into the nation’s planning.

The finance chief also said more mainland enterprises can make good use of the SAR’s advantages to go global.

“We welcome more mainland companies to come to Hong Kong, to utilise the full-chain financial support as well as our advantage of being internationalised,” he said.

“The government has put forward the set up of a cross-sector professional services platform to support enterprises in going global, and the service will be available from this month.”

Chan also called on mainland companies to actively participate in the Northern Metropolis development to bring talent, skills and industrial chains to the city, saying the government has prepared a range of flexible policies to cater for potential investors.

Meanwhile, InvestHK’s director-general Alpha Lau said the number of clients at her office has reached an all-time high, with mainland companies and the SAR mutually benefitting each other.

She said the agency will continue to attract investments and leverage the SAR’s services, and proactively align with the nation’s planning to serve broader development goals.

As of the end of last year, around 3,100 mainland enterprises had set up shop in the city.

One of them is Miniso, a retailer that currently has more than 8,000 branches across the world after setting foot in Hong Kong in 2015.

Its vice president Alice Yang said the SAR’s geographical location, as well as being highly inclusive and international, helped elevate the brand’s reputation. She added they are planning to open more stores in the city this year.


Edited by Edmond Fong