The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (Brussels ETO), is promoting Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) development at the South Summit, which is being held in Madrid, Spain, from June 3 to 5 (Madrid time). The promotion was done in partnership with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and under the Economic and Trade Express (ETE) initiative.
 
     As announced by the Chief Executive in the 2025 Policy Address, the new functional platform ETE has been established to enable overseas Economic and Trade Offices, the HKTDC, and InvestHK to enhance their work on trade and investment promotion with greater synergy. One key highlight under the ETE is to provide one-stop support services by these three parties to facilitate business exchanges between Hong Kong and overseas markets.
 
     Speaking at the networking dinner held on June 3, Assistant Representative of Brussels ETO Mr Paul Leung highlighted Hong Kong's achievements and international recognition in I&T development. He noted that Hong Kong ranked fourth globally in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2025. In addition, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranked first in the 2025 Global Innovation Index Ranking of the World's Top 100 Innovation Clusters for the first time.
 
     Supported by various government initiatives to nurture talent and strengthen the I&T ecosystem, as well as the vast opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong has developed into one of Asia's most vibrant start-up hubs, with the number of start-ups increasing significantly over the past 11 years, from around 1 000 in 2014 to over 5 200 in 2025, said Mr Leung.
 
     The South Summit is recognised as one of the world's leading entrepreneurship and innovation platforms for start-ups, investors and institutions to connect. The event brings together more than 20 000 participants from over 130 countries and regions, including more than 7 500 start-ups and 2 100 investors. A Hong Kong booth was set up at the South Summit to provide information on investment and business opportunities in Hong Kong to global attendees.

Ends/Thursday, June 4, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:51

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