In June, a globe-spanning delegation, led by HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong, met with Zhejiang government and business leaders in Hangzhou to strengthen bilateral cooperation and highlight Hong Kong’s strengths and advantages as a business platform.
Among government officials, the delegation met with Chen Jin, Deputy Mayor of the Hangzhou Municipal Government; Han Jie, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce; Liu Jie, Deputy Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Wang Wenxu, Minister of the United Front Work Department.
Ms Fong said Zhejiang is ideal for high-quality development and has an excellent business environment, offering many new opportunities for investment and business development. She hopes Hong Kong and Zhejiang can cooperate in the areas of scientific research and innovation, the digital economy, trade exhibitions, finance and investment.
"The HKTDC will actively encourage Hong Kong businesses to explore the Zhejiang market, invest in new projects and unexplored areas in Zhejiang to strengthen cooperation between the province and Hong Kong,” she said.
Hangzhou is striving to build an internationally competitive modern industrial economy and become a world-class international metropolis. Opportunities in Hangzhou range from innovation and technology to creativity.
As a renowned finance and business hub, Hong Kong provides an international economic and trade platform, top-notch R&D capability and talent advantages that can help enterprises expand.
Hangzhou enterprises can develop internationally by conducting business through Hong Kong’s professional services industry. High-quality platforms, such the HKTDC’s InnoEX and the Hangzhou Digital Trade Fair, can expand cooperation in the digital economy and development of bilateral digital trade.
The HKTDC delegation visited leading Hangzhou enterprises, including Alibaba and Qiannao Technology, key enterprises in Hangzhou’s Future Science and Technology City, an innovation and venture complex for global technology entrepreneurship.
Delegates also visited Holley Group, formerly a manufacturing enterprise that has transformed itself into the developer of Hangzhou’s innovation park.
They also met with representatives of Huace Group, a leading mainland film and television company, and Hangshi Group, a sustainable materials developer.
The HKTDC established a representative office in Hangzhou in 2007 to build connections and promote trade and economic exchange and cooperation between Zhejiang and Hong Kong.
It has well-established cooperation mechanisms with Zhejiang to boost development in both places and promote enterprises going global via Hong Kong.
Following the visit, the HKTDC will continue to adapt its platforms to serve the evolving needs of enterprises in both Zhejiang and Hong Kong, while helping overseas enterprises venture into the Zhejiang market.
Zhejiang is a highly industrialised, export-focused province just south of the Yangtze Delta with a population of 66 million.
