John Lee: Upgrading the dedicated task force services to help mainland enterprises expand overseas; advancing investment agreements to expand the global trade and economic network.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu today (October 9) attended the cocktail reception marking the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association and delivered a speech. He congratulated the Association on its 35th anniversary and outlined the relevant arrangements of Hong Kong's first five-year plan, proposing to enhance Hong Kong's platform function for going global and provide one-stop high value-added professional services for mainland enterprises "going global." John Lee Ka-chiu said that leveraging the advantages of "One Country, Two Systems," Hong Kong enjoys favorable conditions such as the rule of law, a low tax regime, and the free flow of factors of production, and can provide enterprises with a stable and predictable internationalized business environment. The Hong Kong SAR Government established a dedicated task force for mainland enterprises going global in October last year. Over the past year, it has assisted more than 340 mainland enterprises in completing matters such as listing and fundraising on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, alignment with overseas standards, industry certification, and compliance arrangements. In conjunction with this year's Policy Address, the Hong Kong SAR Government has introduced four measures to upgrade the work of the dedicated task force for going global: deepening cooperation between industry associations of the two places to provide targeted support; working with professional institutions to cultivate talent for going global; expanding the cross-sector professional service platform and adding ESG-related services; and optimizing the platform's matching function and following up on the effectiveness of project implementation. In terms of expanding global economic and trade cooperation, Hong Kong, China signed a new investment agreement with Bangladesh last month, and will strive to sign investment agreements with Qatar and Peru as soon as possible, while continuing to explore potential free trade agreements and investment agreements to deepen global economic and trade cooperation. The SAR Government will continue to expand the international economic and trade network and play a greater role in the country's high-standard opening up. In addition to consolidating ties with traditional markets, we will actively explore emerging markets with potential and deeply participate in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. John Lee Ka-chiu fully affirmed the role of the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association as an important bridge for economic and trade cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong. The Association currently has more than 1,300 member enterprises and actively cooperates with the SAR Government's work related to going global. The SAR Government looks forward to continuing to work hand in hand with the Association and enterprises from all sectors to help the country's high-standard opening up and safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.