The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Slovenia, Mr Klemen Boštjančič, again in the morning of September 24 (Ljubljana time) before proceeding to Poland for the second leg of his European visit. He said at the meeting that the visit was very fruitful, especially regarding the news that the Slovenian Government and National Assembly are deliberating on the decision to prioritise the Comprehensive Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (CDTA) negotiations with Hong Kong.

     "Both the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Slovenian governments are keen to pursue a CDTA early to reduce unnecessary tax obstacles for encouraging bilateral trade and investment. The signing of the CDTA will foster closer economic ties between Hong Kong and Slovenia, and I believe that it will be welcomed by the business communities in both places.

     "Hong Kong and Slovenia have a lot in common, both being small yet significant economically and strategically with big ambitions. We both offer a diverse economy with a stable investment environment, underpinned by openness and efficiency. That makes us each perfect gateways for each other, enabling European enterprises to enter Asian and Mainland markets through Hong Kong, and Slovenia a place through which Mainland companies can access Europe," he added.

     Mr Hui also highlighted to Mr Boštjančič that Hong Kong is consolidating its status as an international asset and wealth management centre. The total assets under management in Hong Kong grew by 13 per cent year on year, reaching EUR3.81 trillion by the end of 2024. Riding on the particularly stellar performance in the private banking and private wealth management sector, more facilitation measures have been announced by the Chief Executive in his 2025 Policy Address to make Hong Kong even more attractive to family offices and global high-net-worth individuals. These measures include enriching the investment options under the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, enhancing the preferential tax regimes for funds, single family offices and carried interest, as well as expanding the mutual access between capital markets of the Mainland and Hong Kong.

     He also met with the State Secretary responsible for Taxes, Customs Duties and Other Charges and for Improving the Efficiency of Public Spending of Slovenia, Ms Katja Božič, to discuss the next steps in the process of commencing the negotiations on the CDTA.

     In the afternoon, Mr Hui started his itinerary in Warsaw, Poland, where he visited Lenovo Technology and met with its General Manager at Lenovo Poland, Mr Wojciech Zaskorski, and other senior members of the company to learn more about the macroeconomic situation and digitalisation of Poland, as well as the needs of Mainland companies in their expansion overseas.

     Mr Hui stated that Hong Kong is striving to be the perfect platform to support Mainland companies going global. A Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global will be set up to encourage Mainland enterprises to utilise Hong Kong in expanding their businesses overseas. Hong Kong will facilitate the establishment in the city of more corporate treasury centres by Mainland companies and regional headquarters by the banking sector, particularly by Mainland banks. Hong Kong will also promote the development of carbon audit services to assist enterprises going global to meet international requirements and standards on green trade in respect of carbon emission reduction.

     He reiterated that Hong Kong has an extensive pool of professionals to serve Mainland companies on their journey towards global market expansion. Using the accounting sector as an example, he said that the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants has compiled the List of accounting firms helping Mainland enterprises go global to help Mainland companies to tackle the challenges of venturing abroad. As at mid-August, the list includes 83 Hong Kong accounting firms.

     Mr Hui will visit the Warsaw Stock Exchange on September 25 (Warsaw time) and meet with Polish government officials and members of the business sector.

Ends/Thursday, September 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:03

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