InvestHK collaborates with Wuhan ETO to promote Hong Kong’s advantages as global supply chain management hub and its role as double gateway to Hubei Province (with photos)
​The Director-General of Investment Promotion (DGIP) at Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Ms Alpha Lau, has embarked on her first official visit to Wuhan, Hubei Province, from February 26 to 28. During the visit, she is promoting Hong Kong’s unique advantages and its role as a global supply chain management hub with local government authorities, enterprises and major development zones.
On the first day of her visit to Wuhan, Ms Lau attended and spoke at a seminar themed “Hubei-Hong Kong Collaboration: Connecting the World for a Shared Future”, which was jointly organised by InvestHK; the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Hubei Sub-Council; the Department of Commerce of Hubei Province; the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan (WHETO); and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The seminar commenced with welcome remarks by Ms Lau, followed by remarks from the Director of the WHETO, Miss Alice Choi; Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Hubei Province Ms Li Xiaoyan; and Deputy Director of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Hubei Sub-Council Mr Shi Minghui.
This marks Ms Lau’s first visit as DGIP at InvestHK to Wuhan, Hubei Province. She looks forward to leveraging the economic and trade advantages between Hubei and Hong Kong to help enterprises seize opportunities in Hong Kong for growth and advancement. Ms Lau said, “Hong Kong is the largest foreign direct investment source for Hubei Province as well as its major business and trade partner. Enterprises from Hubei are also actively going global through Hong Kong. More and more Hubei enterprises are using Hong Kong as a gateway to extend their industrial and supply chains overseas, reaching new markets worldwide.” She shared with corporate guests and said, “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government aims to build a high-value-added supply chain service centre to serve both domestic and international enterprises. Hong Kong possesses robust professional service capabilities. In addition, Hong Kong offers comprehensive support for Hubei enterprises in their global expansion, particularly in legal, finance and talent.” She also took the opportunity to meet with local media and elaborate on the latest business advantages of Hong Kong.
Miss Choi said, “This seminar has established a communication platform for Hubei and Hong Kong in the field of supply chain management, marking another achievement under the Hubei/Hong Kong Co-operation Mechanism. We hope this event will serve as an opportunity for enterprises from both regions to join hands in exploring the global market. The WHETO will continue to act as a bridge for communication between Hong Kong and Hubei, promoting comprehensive co-operation between the two places.”
Mr Shi and Ms Li, representing Hubei government authorities, expressed that they will actively promote and continuously deepen economic, trade, investment, and co-operative exchanges between Hubei and Hong Kong. This will enable enterprises from both regions to fully leverage and utilise their respective advantages for further development and upgrading. Ms Li stated, “Hubei is accelerating the improvement of mechanisms to facilitate the dual circulation of domestic and international markets, advancing high-level opening-up to the outside world. Hong Kong’s significant advantages in multiple fields create an excellent environment for Hubei-Hong Kong co-operation.” Mr Shi added that in the coming year, efforts will focus on strengthening collaborative innovation in technology, deepening economic and trade co-operation, and enhancing complementary strengths, seeking approaches to achieve win-win opportunities between Hubei and Hong Kong.
The Head of Transport & Logistics and Industrials at InvestHK, Mr Benjamin Wong, delivered a keynote presentation on Hong Kong’s business advantages, encouraging Hubei enterprises to establish their global supply chain management centres in Hong Kong. He also introduced the services that InvestHK provides to assist Mainland enterprises.
In the second half of the seminar, the Head of Business and Talent Attraction/Investment Promotion of the WHETO, Mr Zhou Yikai, hosted a panel discussion. Participants included the Director, Central China from the HKTDC, Ms Christie Wu; Honorary Secretary of the Hongkong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics Ltd, Mr Alex Koo; the Head of Cargo Chinese Mainland of Cathay Pacific Airways, Ms Wendy Ge; the General Manager of the BEA (China), Wuhan Branch, Mr Winson Lee; and Assistant to the Chairman of the Wuhan Changjiang International Trade Group Co Ltd and the Chairman of the Wuhan Changjiang Trading Company Co Ltd, Mr Bian Dakui. The discussion focused on how Hubei enterprises can fully utilise Hong Kong’s platform for global supply chain management. This seminar attracted nearly 200 representatives from local enterprises, institutions, and media in Hubei Province.
During the visit, Ms Lau met with the Director-General of Department of Commerce of Hubei Province, Ms Long Xiaohong, to exchange views on jointly supporting Hubei enterprises in fully utilising Hong Kong’s platform to expand into international markets. Ms Lau expressed hope that through InvestHK’s promotion, Hubei enterprises could gain a deeper understanding of Hong Kong’s unique advantages and opportunities under the “one country, two systems” framework. As a gateway connecting the Mainland with the world, Hong Kong helps Mainland businesses expand globally while also attracting foreign investment. Ms Long welcomed the suggestion and looked forward to continuously deepening exchanges and co-operation between the two places and the two departments.
Ms Lau visited the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone and the Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, where she exchanged talks with relevant officials today and tomorrow (February 27 and 28). The delegation of InvestHK visited the “Dual Intelligence” Exhibition Hall of the Wuhan National New Energy and Intelligent Connected Vehicle Demonstration Zone. After that, Member of the Standing Committee of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone Mr Liu Ziqing, and the Director of the Development Zone Administrative Committee, Mr Tang Chao, held talks with Ms Lau. They exchanged views on assisting advanced manufacturing enterprises in leveraging Hong Kong to optimise their multinational supply chain management and expressed their commitment to deepening communication and co-operation.
During the visit to the development zones, Ms Lau visited leading enterprises from key industries, including advanced manufacturing, digital publishing, and high-tech sectors such as life sciences, low-altitude economy, and intelligent connected vehicles. She discussed with company representatives to understand and explore their plans for establishing or expanding operations in Hong Kong. “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to promoting innovation and technology development. With a thriving innovation and technology ecosystem and abundant opportunities, Hong Kong provides an ideal environment for Mainland advanced manufacturing and high-tech enterprises looking to expand globally. We encourage Hubei enterprises to leverage Hong Kong’s new opportunities to establish their research and development centres, computing power hubs, and global management hubs,” Ms Lau said.
