Following is a question by the Hon Rock Chen and a reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (April 1):
 
Question:
 
     It was announced in last year's Policy Address the establishment of the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force) to better support Mainland enterprises in "going global". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the clear division of work among the various participating departments and organisations in the GoGlobal Task Force, including the specific areas of responsibility of each department and organisation, how the authorities assign the division of work based on their experience and strengths, and the details of the cross-‍departmental collaboration mechanism;
 
(2) given that the GoGlobal Task Force and the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform, initiated by the Department of Justice, bring together industry partners and professional service providers, of the specific criteria or requirements adopted by the authorities for selecting or including relevant organisations in the list of partners/professional service providers, and whether organisations may apply for inclusion on their own based on the publicly available criteria, or whether inclusion is primarily by government invitation or selection; whether the Government will consider introducing special measures to enhance opportunities for small and medium-‍sized professional service companies to participate, so as to cater for the needs of enterprises of different sizes; and
 
(3) whether the Government will formulate a more comprehensive and penetrative publicity plan to strengthen promotion to enterprises intending to go global in various provinces in the Mainland, through channels such as the Mainland offices of the Government, local chambers of commerce, trade associations and online platforms?
 
Reply:

President,
 
     Having consulted the Department of Justice (DoJ) and relevant bureaux, the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Rock Chen is as follows:
 
     In view of the rapidly changing global trade landscape and geopolitics, more Mainland enterprises are planning to go global to diversify business risks and expand international business. To better support Mainland enterprises in going global via Hong Kong in an orderly manner, I established the cross-bureau, cross-departmental and cross-agency Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force) last October. It serves as a one-stop platform to encourage Mainland enterprises to go global through Hong Kong.
 
     Steered by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, the GoGlobal Task Force co-ordinates the work of various bureaux, departments and agencies in formulating diverse proposals for enterprises looking to go global. Apart from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB), other members include DoJ, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB), the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB), the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation. Bringing together different experiences and expertise of the members, the GoGlobal Task Force provides comprehensive support to Mainland enterprises. The GoGlobal Task Force has formulated a preliminary work plan and will focus on attracting key or strategically valuable Mainland enterprises to go global via Hong Kong in an orderly manner.
 
     To this end, a clear division of labour is in place for each member to support the GoGlobal Task Force from their respective policies and purview. For example, InvestHK serves as the secretariat of the steering committee for the GoGlobal Task Force to co-ordinate the work of members. Through collaboration with Mainland Offices (MOs) under the CMAB and HKTDC's offices on the Mainland, InvestHK proactively connects with Mainland enterprises and jointly organise promotional events; the DoJ provides advice on the promotion of legal services and collaboration with other professional services including finance and accounting; the FSTB, HKMA and HKEX are responsible for providing advice on financial services, listing and financing required by the enterprises; the ITIB and its HKPC provide advice on innovation and technology as well as testing and certification. The above demonstrates that GoGlobal Task Force members perform their respective roles, using their expertise and networks to jointly support Mainland enterprises in going global through Hong Kong.
 
     The 2026-27 Budget further announced that the GoGlobal Task Force would set up a cross-sectoral professional services platform (the Platform). The relevant work is co-ordinated by the HKTDC to bring together Hong Kong's professional services providers in the field of legal services, accounting, financial services, testing and certification, marketing, etc. and provide Mainland enterprises seeking to go global with professional consultation and support on a case-by-case basis, thereby assisting them in establishing a presence in Hong Kong and expanding their businesses overseas through Hong Kong. When preparing for the Platform, the HKTDC incorporated advice and suggestions from the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform and the Expert Committee on Professional Services for Going Global set up under the DoJ. As a GoGlobal Task Force member, the DoJ has been providing advice to the GoGlobal Task Force on matters related to professional services. The Expert Committee brings together Hong Kong's cross-professional service teams for going global to promote and support the professional services sector, thereby better responding to the needs of Mainland enterprises for such professional services. The DoJ will compile and publish panel lists of professional services providers supporting overseas expansion to facilitate enterprises in connecting with the most suitable professional services providers that fit the professional services required by the enterprises and their sectoral demand. To ensure professional competency and service quality of the professional services providers on the panel lists, the DoJ will set out relevant criteria for applicants, such as possessing good professional ethics and being able to demonstrate their expertise in supporting overseas expansion by providing past cases for reference. The above information about professional services providers supporting overseas expansion will also be published on the Platform launched by the HKTDC on March 20 this year, thereby providing Mainland enterprises with one-stop and comprehensive resources tailored to their needs. The GoGlobal Task Force and the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform will continue working closely together, leveraging Hong Kong's professional advantages to precisely meet the needs of Mainland enterprises.
 
     On promotion, the GoGlobal Task Force organised the first large-scale promotional event in Shanghai in November last year to promote Hong Kong as an ideal platform for Mainland enterprises to go global. Leaders from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and the Shanghai Municipal Government attended the event, which attracted over 500 enterprise representatives. The GoGlobal Task Force has formulated a promotion plan. Through MOs, InvestHK's Dedicated Teams for Attracting Businesses and Talents based in the Mainland as well as the HKTDC's offices on the Mainland, the GoGlobal Task Force will continue to collaborate with chambers of commerce and industry associations, etc. in organising promotional events with various industry-specific themes in Hong Kong and on the Mainland. In addition, the GoGlobal Task Force will organise outbound missions to be led by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government officials to enable Mainland enterprises planning to go global to visit overseas markets to understand the local situation.
 
     Separately, the CEDB and MoC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in February this year. The MoU will strengthen co-operation and exchange in the provision of comprehensive overseas services and enhance the capacity of supporting Mainland enterprises in going global. The MoU also expressly supports the above-mentioned Platform established by the HKTDC to serve Mainland enterprises seeking to go global.
 
     The GoGlobal Task Force will fully leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages of under "one country, two systems" principle to serve the country's needs with our strengths. We will also develop "go global" services into a new growth area for Hong Kong's economy, while fostering the robust development of professional and commercial services in Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Issued at HKT 13:10

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