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Invest Hong Kong and Huizhou Municipal People's Government have co-organised a seminar entitled "Hong Kong and Huizhou: Your Ideal Partnership in China" in Helsinki, Finland on April 22 (Helsinki time). The aim of the joint promotion event was to attract Finnish investment to both Hong Kong and Huizhou. The seminar attracted over 100 senior business executives.
The seminar began with welcoming remarks by Charge d'Affaires, Embassy of PRC in Finland, Mr Ma Qiang and Director-General, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (London), Ms Sarah Wu. Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Simon Galpin and Deputy Director for Huizhou Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ms Yuan Kuidong both delivered keynote speeches at the seminar.
In his speech, Mr Galpin encouraged Finnish enterprises looking for new opportunities in Mainland China to invest in Hong Kong. He said, "In comparison with problems facing the economies in Europe and the US, China has held up relatively well in the midst of the global financial crisis, with plenty of opportunities for business development. Thanks to our strategic location and our sound fundamentals, Hong Kong is an ideal springboard for doing business in Mainland China."
Mr Galpin further highlighted the complementary strengths of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, "Finland is well-known for its high-technology manufacturing industry, in particular telecommunications. By setting up manufacturing facilities in the PRD region, while establishing headquarters in Hong Kong to perform management, financing and logistics functions, Finnish companies will be best positioned to capture the huge business opportunities in the Mainland market."
In 2008, Finland was Hong Kong's ninth largest trading partner among the EU member states. During the same period, about 18% of the total trade between Finland and the Mainland, amounting to HK$10.8 billion, was routed through Hong Kong.
"The business relationship between Finland and Hong Kong is closer than ever. We encourage the Finnish companies to take advantage of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) to access to the Mainland market through Hong Kong," Mr Galpin said.
In her speech, Ms Yuan introduced the development of Huizhou in recent years. She said, "Apart from Shenzhen, Huizhou is the second closest Mainland city to Hong Kong. It has an export-oriented economy and currently has more than 4,000 foreign-funded enterprises."
Recently, the Central Government has announced a 12-year blueprint to reform and develop the PRD region into a "globally competitive" region by focusing on innovation, high-end manufacturing and high-technology industries.
Huizhou, which is incorporated into the region, will play an important role in region's development. Ms Yuan added, "IT and petrochemical industries are the focus of our future development. Following the establishment of petrochemical projects like the CSPC Nanhai Petrochemicals and the CNOOC Oil Refinery, Huizhou is now seen as a 'rising digital and petrochemical industrial city'."
"At present, 82 European companies have been established in Huizhou with a total investment of around US$1 billion. We welcome more Finnish investors to visit, study, and invest in Huizhou," Ms Yuan said.
The seminar also included case study presentations. Founding member, Partner, Finndex Group, Mr Reijo Markku and CEO, Nicanti Oy, Mr Paul Wilkinson shared their successful investment experiences in Hong Kong and the Greater PRD region. Founder Partner, Yoka Consulting, Mr John Hansson; Chairman, Fintrade-Mercer Mr Jari Vepsalainen, and Vice President, Corporate Banking, Svenska Handelsbanken, Hong Kong Branch, Mr Tero Juotasniemi covered the practical tips for doing business in Hong Kong and China. Director, Nordic, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Derek Qvisth, introduced the Council's services that could help foreign companies.
Ends/Thursday, April 23, 2009
Issued at HKT 10:01
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