An event committed to promoting Hong Kong as Asia's international trade and financial center kicked off Thursday in London as statistics showed that Britain's investment in the Chinese special administrative region has surged.
The event, "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong", a symposium organized by Hong Kong's Trade Development Council (HKTDC), is a mega promotion campaign to attract overseas companies to use the region's service platform to tap into the Chinese mainland and other Asian markets.
Carrie Lam, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, told the opening of the event that Hong Kong, which has been the world's freest economy for 23 consecutive years, will continue to be a gateway to tap into the Chinese mainland market, with its free flow of information, capital and rule of law.
She also stressed that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has brought opportunities and impetus to Hong Kong with its strong emphasis on connectivity and international co-operation.
"Hong Kong is well placed to meet the rising demand for fund-raising and financial management services for the Belt and Road projects," she said.
"Hong Kong is best positioned to play a key role in translating the Initiative into tangible benefits for Hong Kong enterprises and professionals," the senior official said.
The city, she added, has a clear competitive edge in the provision of professional services in an array of areas such as investment and risk assessment, research, financing, insurance, accounting, legal services, dispute resolution, consultation, planning, design and capacity building.
Margaret Fong, the HKTDC executive director, said that the British start-ups and large businesses can find opportunities by taking advantage of Hong Kong's prime position as an international financial and marketing gateway, highlighting the Belt and Road Initiative, ASEAN opportunities technology as key areas for collaboration.
The event came as latest statistics showed that Britain's investment in Hong Kong has picked up drastically over the past years.
HKTDC said in a statement issued at the event that Britain's investment in the city has surged 115 percent to 25 billion British pounds (33.7 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2015, compared with the figure at the end of 2010.
It also showed that 45 percent of the British SMEs would identify Hong Kong as the gateway to the Chinese mainland and other Asian countries.
In addition to Hong Kong's strategic location at the centre of Asia, its extensive international trade networks, world-class infrastructure, well-connected communication and transport networks as well as a rich pool of professionals have contributed to its role as a key financial, trading and logistics centre in the region.
According to the research among British companies commissioned by HKTDC, the biggest opportunities that businesses recognize for launching into the Chinese mainland is its huge consumer base, its growing middle class and ability to be early adopters of technology.
The "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" event, first held in London in 2011, has been built to provide both a general update on Hong Kong and its business environment as well as an opportunities to explore key themes that have been selected to appeal across sectors. It has been held in countries such as Japan, the U.S., France, Italy, Canada and Germany.
