The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo (Tokyo ETO) held a reception in Seoul, Korea, today (August 28) to update some 250 guests from various sectors in Korea on the latest developments in Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) landscape, as well as the opportunities available through Hong Kong as a gateway to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
In her welcoming remarks, the Principal Hong Kong Economic and Trade Representative (Tokyo), Miss Winsome Au, said that the bond between Hong Kong and Korea has always been strong.
"In 2023, Korea was Hong Kong's sixth largest merchandise trading partner, while we were Korea's 10th largest trading partner, and fifth largest export market. In the first half of 2024, there were more than 250 000 arrivals of Hong Kong tourists to Korea. During the same period, there were some 420 000 arrivals of Korean tourists to Hong Kong, representing a 270 per cent increase annually," she said.
At the reception, the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan, delivered a keynote speech on "Hong Kong – Your 'Super Connector' and 'Super Value-Adder' with the Guangdong-Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area". She introduced the prosperous development and business opportunities of the GBA in various areas, and encouraged the Korean talents and enterprises to capitalise on Hong Kong's strengths as the "super connector" and "super value-adder" to tap into the huge market of the GBA and the Mainland through Hong Kong.
"Hong Kong is a core city in the GBA. Thanks to the 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong is the GBA's international entry point, the ideal base for Korean companies and talent looking to tap into the region's vast opportunities, and the best platform to build your Mainland and Asian business and career," she said.
The Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong, made a keynote speech at the reception on "Hong Kong – The Future of Innovation and Technology". She said that Hong Kong is in a golden age of I&T development with opportunities abound. It is now the best time to invest in I&T in Hong Kong, as a new I&T industry system has begun to take shape. Hong Kong will continue to advocate for and strengthen the efficient collaboration among the Government, industry, academic, research and investment sectors. This will bring more enterprises together to promote industry development, and facilitate a healthy technology and start-up environment.
Ms Cheong said, "With our proactive government initiatives and industry facilitation policies, as well as strong research and development capability promoting global I&T collaborations, these are all favourable factors creating a business-friendly environment for Korean technology companies and start-ups to grow, expand and succeed in Hong Kong."
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