Invest Hong Kong – the government agency tasked with promoting inward direct investment to the special administrative region – has forged economic ties with multiple emerging markets through outreach to Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
The InvestHK leadership team paid multiple duty visits to emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East this month, actively promoting the city’s business advantages and opportunities in overseas markets and fostering mutual cooperation.
The team, which included Director-General of Investment Promotion Alpha Lau Hai-suen, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Charles Ng and acting Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Loretta Lee, visited Türkiye, Hungary, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Romania, actively promoting Hong Kong's business advantages and opportunities.
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They emphasized Hong Kong's advantages of connecting the country with the world under “one country, two systems” and sought to actively expand into emerging markets, deepen international exchanges and cooperation, and demonstrate the synergistic power of the complementary strengths between the city and the Chinese mainland, the agency said in a statement.
Loretta Lee was part of the business delegation to Qatar and Kuwait, which was led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, from May 11 to 14. Witnessed by the CE, three MoUs were signed with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Qatar Businessmen Association, and the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, further strengthening collaborative relationships.
From May 10 to 20, Alpha Lau visited emerging markets along the Belt and Road initiative including Istanbul, Türkiye; Budapest, Hungary; and Cairo, Egypt, meeting with external economic relations committees, export promotion agencies, investment promotion agencies, chambers of commerce, financial services organizations and strategic enterprises.
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Speaking at multiple business seminars, she promoted Hong Kong's business advantages and opportunities and the advantages of raising capital through the SAR, expanding networks, and seeking new business opportunities for Hong Kong. She also hosted two media roundtable discussions to tell the good stories of Hong Kong.
Ng, meanwhile, visited Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and Casablanca, Morocco, from May 11 to 16.
In Côte d'Ivoire, he spoke at a CEO Forum and engaged with chambers of commerce and industry to highlight Hong Kong's role as a super-connector in the Belt and Road Initiative. In Morocco, he met with various financial institutions and professional associations to emphasize the SAR’s robust financial markets and innovation ecosystem.
Ng also met with local media to promote Hong Kong's business advantages.
King Leung, global head of Financial Services, FinTech & Sustainability at InvestHK, met representatives from local financial institutions in Oman, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi to discuss opportunities for digital and technological collaboration between the two regions.
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InvestHK’s head of consumer products, Angelica Leung met with retail and luxury brand leaders in Bucharest, tapping into emerging markets like Romania and demonstrating why Hong Kong is the ideal location to set up a regional headquarters to thrive across the region's retail and luxury sectors.
“In addition to reaching out to traditional markets, InvestHK is also strengthening economic ties with emerging markets to create more collaboration opportunities,” said Lau.
Amid unprecedented global economic challenges and the reshaping of global supply chains, overseas enterprises are keen to expand their presence in Asia, she said.
“InvestHK will align with the Belt and Road Initiative and the trend of collaborating with the 'Global South', deepen international exchanges and collaboration, actively promote cross-border investment, capital market cooperation, and technological innovation exchanges, and assist enterprises in establishing and expanding their business in Hong Kong and the wider region,” she added.
