​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) held a hybrid seminar today (October 14) aimed at updating the international business community in Hong Kong about the latest foreign investment policy and business environment in the Mainland and encouraging them to use the city to build or expand their Mainland footholds.
      
     The seminar, entitled "Opportunities for Foreign Investment in China: Policies of Comprehensive Deepening Reform and New High-Standard Opening-up in China", began with welcoming remarks by InvestHK's Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Stephen Phillips, followed by presentations of the Mainland's high-standard market system and opportunities arising from the country's high-standard opening-up policy for foreign investment by the Deputy Director-General of Department of Comprehensive System Reform, the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China (NDRC), Mr Jiang Yi; and the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Investment Administration, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM), Ms Meng Huating, respectively via online.
      
     Mr Phillips said, "We are delighted to have two senior officials from the NRDC as well as the MOFCOM to share with us first-hand updates on the development of foreign investment in the Mainland and on how the new foreign investment policy and measures can facilitate foreign investment. I am sure that you will get useful insights and information for your business in the Mainland."
             
     Mr Phillips added, "I would strongly urge businesses from around the world to make good use of Hong Kong's role bridging the Mainland and the international markets, and capture the exciting opportunities in Hong Kong and the Mainland."
        
     Mr Jiang introduced China's high-standard market system and its achievements at the seminar. When talking about the next step on how foreign enterprises can make good use of the system to expand in the Mainland via Hong Kong, he said that the city has long been the largest source of foreign direct investment in the Mainland and an offshore financing platform for Mainland enterprises. It is also the Mainland's largest investment destination and the biggest offshore Renminbi business centre in the world. The city is an important two-way service platform bridging the Mainland and the world to "attract foreign investment" and "go global". The 14th Five-Year Plan proposes and supports Hong Kong to establish eight major centres and hubs, which will further enhance Hong Kong's core competitiveness and integration into the overall development of the country.
              
     Ms Meng talked about the opportunities arising from China's new high-standard opening-up policy for foreign investment and urged investors from around the world to leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages to expand in the Mainland. She said that, backed by the motherland and adjacent to the world, Hong Kong has unique and significant advantages, providing huge opportunities for enterprises and investors in the city. According to the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022 published by the International Institute for Management Development, the city was ranked fifth globally and second in Asia, offering a wide range of opportunities for investors and enterprises from the world to expand their business. According to data released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, foreign direct investment in Hong Kong, China increased by 4.4 per cent in 2021, ranking third in the world after the United States and the Mainland. In 2021, the number of companies in Hong Kong with parent companies located outside Hong Kong reached a record high, with more than 9,000.
                  
     For photos of the seminar, please visit:www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720302876159.

Ends/Friday, October 14, 2022
Issued at HKT 15:20

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