Hong Kong can play a key role in helping mainland companies expand overseas, according to the chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Frederick Ma Si-hang, who also said the Middle East turmoil should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat.
Speaking on a radio program, Ma said Hong Kong can act as a “super-connector” and “super-value adder” for Chinese firms looking to go global by offering professional services in finance, certification, and more.
His remarks came after the HKTDC launched “GoGlobal Connect” on Tuesday (Apr 14), a platform designed to match mainland businesses with Hong Kong-based service providers.
Ma noted that the HKTDC's focus has shifted from promoting trade to promoting services, which parallels Hong Kong's own transformation from a “light industrial city” in past decades to a financial hub since the 1990s.
He urged all sectors of society to embrace China’s “going global” wave over the next ten years, utilizing the city's strengths to support mainland companies in a move he said will bring "limitless business opportunities."
Ma further highlighted that Hong Kong became the world’s fifth-largest trading entity last year, behind only mainland China, the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands.
He called the result very satisfactory, attributing it partly to an acceleration in goods exports following US tariff threats. He added that while emerging markets such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Middle East saw solid growth, traditional European and US markets lagged.
Regarding the Middle East tensions, Ma argued that Hong Kong should turn the crisis into an opportunity, leveraging the situation to attract more capital and talent as regional uncertainty undermines investor confidence.
