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Hong Kong’s unique duality of rigorous international standards and integration into the mainland makes it a great launchpad for companies’ internationalization, as firms can satisfy China’s market requirements while leveraging the city's internationally recognized standards to market their brands worldwide, according to China-based AI security governance infrastructure provider Eagle Cloud, which has chosen Hong Kong as its anchor for global expansion.
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As the market leader in China, the company sees strong overall growth, currently serving more than 1,000 client firms across over 20 industries, with heavy concentration in renewable energy, banking, and retail, alongside growing inquiries from the insurance sector. In an interview with The Standard, Eagle Cloud regional general manager and partner Kevin Xu Jiechao shared that the close-knit ecosystem of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park can help align the firm with other innovation and technology regions.
"Hong Kong has both international and mainland standards, with some companies from China and some headquartered overseas," Xu said, adding that some of the company's Hong Kong clients have global brand names, further strengthening its base for international expansion. Situated at the heart of the cross-border tech corridor, the HSITP offers broad access across the Greater Bay Area as well as a variety of support and opportunities for growth, Xu noted.
He pointed to the GAS@HSITP program, which provides startups with funding assistance and incubation support services. Through it, HSITP partners Lenovo strategically with Eagle Cloud for valuable feedback, and Eagle Cloud can leverage Lenovo’s resources, expertise, and networks.
As global enterprises rush to embed AI agents into daily operations, Xu warned that a blind spot for companies is a lack of visibility and record-keeping over how employees use AI tools for work tasks. Eagle Cloud addresses this through comprehensive AI auditing, including monitoring what tasks AI agents complete and how, ensuring better management geared toward best practices for safely using artificial intelligence.
He also advises mindfulness of token usage when deploying AI tools, which can generate additional costs. Citing the significant role of AI usage outlined in the Hong Kong's latest Policy Address and first Five-Year Plan, he expects to see strong demand from Hong Kong.
Regarding the government's blueprint of the "South-North dual engine (finance-I&T)" industry pattern, he stressed that a large portion of future innovation will be based on AI, which can only be used and developed under safe conditions – reiterating that Eagle Cloud helps provide a base for future innovation.
Looking forward, Eagle Cloud has its sights set on expanding to Southeast Asia and Middle East, where the firm continues to assist companies in safe use of AI. Xu believes opportunities lie within the area, amid pervasive enterprise AI adoption.
