Hong Kong’s four world-class autumn trade fairs are on set to make an impact in October, as a “prime, rare chance” for industries to seize vital business opportunities against heightened trade and tariff uncertainties that have dampened global economic prospects, leading figures said on Thursday.
The quartet – featuring innovative solutions, with dedicated zones for cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, smart lighting and digital entertainment -- line up back-to-back, events kicking off with two concurrent electronic fairs from Oct 13 to 16 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, before a pair of high-profile lighting trade shows, one from Oct 27 to 30 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and another opening on Oct 28 at AsiaWorld-Expo.
The quartet has thus far attracted around 6,200 exhibitors from 27 countries and regions, alongside some 200 buying missions from 67 emerging and traditional markets worldwide registered to attend, Sophia Chong Suk-fan, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) executive director, revealed at a Thursday press conference.
READ MORE: Hong Kong's InnoEX 2025 draws record global exhibitors
The fairs coincide with the resilient growth of Hong Kong’s electronics export sector, despite flat global economic recovery and turbulent trade and tariff policies in certain countries, said Steve Chuang Tzu-hsiung, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council’s Electronics/Electrical Appliances Advisory Committee, at the same event.
Hong Kong’s electronics industry has been credited as the city’s largest merchandise export earner, Chuang said, representing 72.8 percent of the territory’s total exports in 2024.
He added that the industry maintained its growth momentum with an 18 percent year-on-year export rise in the first seven months of 2025 to HK$2,174.2 billion ($280 billion), with the Chinese mainland as the primary market, followed by key markets such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the United States, and the European Union.
Coming on the heels of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-Chiu’s recent Policy Address, the events hold special prominence as a potent response to Lee’s call to position AI and related industries as key pillars of Hong Kong’s future development.
Exhibitors will include members of Hangzhou’s “Six Little Dragons” – a group of leading start-ups visited by Lee in April. Among them, DEEP Robotics will showcase its advanced four-legged, search-and-rescue robot, and BrainCo will feature its next generation prosthetic solutions.
Chong said the fairs are part of a broader effort by the HKTDC to support Hong Kong’s doubling down on backing mainland enterprises to go global, a keen development direction, as the city thrives on a low-tax regime and strong intellectual property protections thanks to the ‘one country, two systems’ framework.
READ MORE: Annual HK book fair to highlight gourmet culture, future living
During the fairs, exhibitors will be able to leverage the “Click2Match” matching platform to conduct online meetings with potential partners and forge business links, expanding their business reach digitally.
Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com
