LCQ21: Enhancing measures for supporting Mainland enterprises in going global
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Question:
The 2025 Policy Address proposes integrating Hong Kong's overseas offices to set up a one-stop platform, the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force), to proactively attract Mainland enterprises seeking to expand their overseas business to go global via Hong Kong. It is learnt that the GoGlobal Task Force has submitted its work plan for the coming year to the Chief Executive. There are views that, given the rapidly changing international environment, the authorities have to further enhance the multi-platform collaboration, as well as the precision of promotional efforts in the Mainland, so as to encourage more Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong as a starting point to connect with the world and expand globally. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the quarterly or annual performance indicators for the GoGlobal Task Force in 2026, including (i) the number of Mainland enterprises that have successfully gone global as a result of the facilitation, and (ii) the respective numbers of promotional activities held by various provinces and municipalities in the Mainland;
(2) of the updated number of Mainland enterprises with an intention to go global that the GoGlobal Task Force has referred to the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform; given that the GoGlobal Task Force has been formed by multiple departments, whether the authorities will establish an online or offline one-stop service counter to assist in clarifying common procedural questions about establishing in Hong Kong;
(3) given views that Hong Kong has the potential to become a national go-global gateway, whether the GoGlobal Task Force will consider (i) establishing co-operative relationships with Mainland service centres for enterprises going global at various levels to jointly provide more comprehensive professional services to Mainland enterprises with such needs, and (ii) inviting major Mainland service centres for enterprises going global to consolidate a local office to co-ordinate with Mainland services;
(4) of the cumulative page views and future promotional plan for the GoGlobal Cross-sectoral Professional Services Platform website managed by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; whether the Government will step up publicity via major social media in the Mainland to ensure that when Mainland enterprises search for keywords or information such as "services for enterprises going global", information on the website will be given priority in the search results; and
(5) regarding the issue of substantial capital needs and limited early-stage financing channels encountered by enterprises after arriving in Hong Kong, whether the Government will strengthen co-ordination between financial institutions, Invest Hong Kong and the GoGlobal Task Force, organise investment matching events on a regular basis, and encourage enterprises going global to join investment matching events?
Reply:
President,
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 in an orderly manner, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) 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 attract 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 to support go global enterprises. Apart from the CEDB, other members include the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB), the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 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.
Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Yung is as follows:
(1) and (5) To assist Mainland enterprises in meeting their capital and financing needs, the GoGlobal Task Force attracts the enterprises concerned to set up businesses in Hong Kong, laying the foundation for their commercial operations in the city and assisting them in progressively establishing regional headquarters, corporate treasury centres, etc. It will also assist them in listing in Hong Kong to leverage Hong Kong's international financial market for fundraising, thereby meeting their cross-border capital needs. At the same time, the GoGlobal Task Force will prepare them for going global by assisting them in developing various corporate functions and business operations that satisfy international market standards and to fulfil requirements related to corporate structures, industry certifications, compliance, etc. In addition, the GoGlobal Task Force will leverage its overseas network to connect enterprises with their target go global destinations by providing them with local support services to ensure successful establishment of operations abroad.
Since the establishment of the GoGlobal Task Force, the steering committee has held three meetings to formulate a comprehensive work plan for the above-mentioned process of enterprises going global, and is progressively launching an array of work, including the following:
(i) To focus on attracting key or strategically valuable Mainland enterprises to establish a presence in Hong Kong. To this end, InvestHK is proactively following up with relevant enterprises to gain an in-depth understanding of their business development needs, while assisting them in connecting with other relevant departments and agencies, thus providing suitable support for them to establish businesses in Hong Kong;
(ii) To match enterprises with Hong Kong professional services, the HKTDC formally launched the cross-sectoral professional services platform GoGlobal Connect on April 14, 2026, bringing together eight groups of Hong Kong professional service providers needed by Mainland enterprises seeking to go global (including financial services; legal services; accounting, tax and business advisory services; design, marketing and brand management services; logistics and transportation services; telecommunications and information and communications technology services; infrastructure and real estate related services; and testing and certification services). The GoGlobal Connect will provide professional consultation and support to enterprises that have set up in Hong Kong on a case-by-case basis, supporting them to expand their businesses overseas through Hong Kong in an orderly manner. When establishing this platform, the HKTDC incorporated advice and suggestions from GoGlobal Task Force members, professional bodies, the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform and the Expert Committee on Professional Services for Going Global set up under the DoJ;
(iii) To organise promotional events with various themes in Hong Kong and Mainland provinces and cities to promote the work of the GoGlobal Task Force and the professional services (such as legal services, financing, etc) that Hong Kong can offer to different industries. As at April, the GoGlobal Task Force has held over 10 promotional events, attracting a total of over 3 000 representatives of Mainland enterprises, many of whom expressed interest in going global via Hong Kong. In addition to general promotional events that cover multiple industries, many of the events focused on specific industry themes including financial services, innovation and technology, and manufacturing. These industry-specific events provided enterprises from the relevant sectors with more focused and pertinent information and support. Besides, representatives from Hong Kong's financial or accounting services sectors (such as the HKEX, banks, and accounting firms, etc) were invited to attend the events to provide Mainland enterprises with relevant professional services and match-making in areas covering financing, cross-border capital transfers, offshore treasury management, taxation, etc. To enhance online publicity, the GoGlobal Task Force launched a dedicated website (www.goglobal.gov.hk) in March 2026, offering one-stop online support including practical information and success stories, as well as connecting to the HKTDC's cross-sectoral professional services platform; and
(iv) To organise outbound missions, which will be led by officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, to enable Mainland enterprises planning to go global to visit target overseas markets to gain a better understanding of the local market situation. We will announce the relevant arrangements in due course.
Going forward, we will proactively work towards the performance indicator set out in the 2025 Policy Address to attract at least 1 200 Mainland or overseas enterprises in total to set up or expand businesses in Hong Kong between 2026 and 2027 (i.e. on average 600 enterprises per year), including Mainland enterprises planning to go global through Hong Kong.
(2) and (4) Given the substantial number of potential go global enterprises, each with its own business plans and at different stages of global expansion, their needs for go global services also vary. In this connection, clear division of labour is in place for each member to support the GoGlobal Task Force by leveraging their respective global networks and professional expertise. Through diverse online and offline channels, GoGlobal Task Force members engage with these enterprises to provide support services, jointly assisting them in going global. For example, the 16 Mainland Offices and Liaison Units under the CMAB, the HKTDC's offices in the Mainland, and InvestHK's Dedicated Teams for Attracting Businesses and Talents based in the Mainland proactively approach go global enterprises in the Mainland through various channels, thereby promoting Hong Kong's advantages and attracting them to set up businesses in Hong Kong; the HKTDC promotes to Mainland enterprises and connects them with Hong Kong's professional services under the GoGlobal Connect; and other members such as the HKPC, it also has dedicated teams to provide Mainland enterprises with professional support covering international technical standard alignment, while the HKEX provides these enterprises with services such as listing and financing.
In addition, the above-mentioned dedicated website of the GoGlobal Task Force provides one-stop online support to go global enterprises. Within only one month since its launch, the dedicated website, including its linked cross-sectoral professional services platform, has recorded more than 20 000 views in total as at mid-April. Through its online platform and activities under the GoGlobal Connect, the HKTDC promotes the services of the cross‑sector professional service platform, and has processed over a hundred enquiries on Mainland enterprises going global. To enhance the publicity effect, the HKTDC has also widely promoted the platform across different social media platforms, including those commonly used in the Mainland such as WeChat, Weibo and Douyin. The cross-sectoral professional services platform will also collaborate with the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform under the DoJ to strengthen professional service support.
(3) To step up the collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland on go global services, the CEDB and the Ministry of Commerce signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on strengthening co-operation and exchange in the provision of comprehensive overseas services in February 2026. The MOU seeks to strengthen co-operation and exchange in the provision of comprehensive overseas services, and foster closer collaboration between Mainland enterprises seeking to go global and Hong Kong professional service providers, thereby enhancing the capacity of supporting Mainland enterprises to go global. In addition, the CEDB and the HKTDC joined the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Enterprises Overseas Professional Service Alliance (Alliance), which was spearheaded and set up by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province in March 2026. Through Guangdong-Hong Kong collaboration, the Alliance will enhance the support for more Mainland enterprises utilising Hong Kong's professional services to go global. The GoGlobal Task Force will continue to maintain close contact with government authorities and business organisations in different provinces and cities to jointly support Mainland enterprises in going global.
The GoGlobal Task Force will fully leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages under the "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, May 6, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:35
Issued at HKT 16:35
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