InvestHK's director-general Alpha Lau on Sunday said Hong Kong businesses are expected to benefit from improved stability in Sino-US relations after US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing a few days ago.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, Lau said businesses anticipate a stable relationship between the two countries following Trump's meeting with President Xi Jinping.

"In Hong Kong's case, because businesses hate uncertainties and there are enough conflicts and different situations going around in the world, so that if they have decided to be constructive going forward, at least Hong Kong is a stable platform to be able to seize on this stability," she said.

"We must always be ready to pounce on the opportunities that may stem from further developments in other areas of the world, such as the Middle East and other places.

"Hong Kong continues to be a very stable place to do business, not only for Chinese or Hong Kong businesses, but also for American companies working in this region," she added.

Lau added that Middle East tensions are driving more businesses to consider Hong Kong as a safe operational base, with companies from Europe and Africa increasingly looking to the city after previously using regional hubs in the Middle East.

She also pointed out that increased oil prices due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East raised transportation and operating costs for small and medium sized enterprises.

As a result, mainland companies slowed their expansion into the Middle East, and started seeking other opportunities in Central Asia and Africa.

Lau said InvestHK hopes to explore new markets and support mainland enterprises in expanding overseas.

She noted that the department visited Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan last October and is currently visiting Africa.

In 2026, InvestHK assisted about 310 companies to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong, with investments of more than HK$26 billion as of early May.

Over 50 percent of these companies are mainland enterprises, she said.


Edited by Tony Sabine