Qiu Yinghua: Mainland companies going global special class will make good use of Hong Kong's unique advantages and develop overseas services into a new growth point for Hong Kong's economy.

The Director of the Hong Kong Business and Economic Development Bureau, Edward Yau, stated in response to lawmakers that the Mainland Enterprise Outbound Special Task Force will fully leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" framework. Hong Kong will contribute its strengths to meet the needs of the country, developing outbound services as a new growth point for the economy, and promoting the vigorous development of professional and commercial services in Hong Kong. With the global trade landscape and geopolitics constantly changing, more and more Mainland enterprises are planning to go global to diversify business risks and expand international operations. To better support Mainland enterprises in orderly going global through Hong Kong, Yau established the Mainland Enterprise Outbound Special Task Force in October last year, as a one-stop platform to proactively attract Mainland enterprises to go global through Hong Kong. The task force, supervised by the Hong Kong Business and Economic Development Bureau, will coordinate the work of various policy bureaus, departments, and institutions to develop diverse support plans for outbound enterprises. In addition to the Business and Economic Development Bureau, other members include the Hong Kong Department of Justice, Hong Kong Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Bureau, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Hong Kong Productivity Council, and Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation, bringing together the diverse experiences and expertise of task force members to provide comprehensive support for Mainland enterprises. The task force has formulated an initial work plan that will focus on attracting key Mainland enterprises with clear strategic value to go global through Hong Kong. To this end, the task force has established clear responsibilities among its members, with each member supporting the work of the task force according to their respective policy and business scope. For example, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council serves as the secretariat of the task force supervisory committee to coordinate the work of various task force members. The Council will actively engage and collaborate with Mainland enterprises through the Mainland offices under the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and the Trade Development Council, and will co-organize promotional activities. The Department of Justice will provide advice on legal services promotion and other professional services areas such as finance and accounting. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited will provide advice on financial services and listing financing for enterprises. The Innovation and Technology Bureau and the Productivity Council will provide advice on innovation, technology, and testing verification. It can be seen that each member of the task force will play their part, using their professional backgrounds and networks to support Mainland enterprises in going global through Hong Kong. The 2026-27 Budget further announced the establishment of a cross-sector professional service platform for the task force, with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council coordinating the effort. This platform will bring together legal, accounting, finance, testing and certification, and marketing professionals to provide Mainland enterprises going global through Hong Kong with case-specific professional advice and support, helping them establish themselves in Hong Kong and expand their overseas business through Hong Kong. When preparing for this platform, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council also took into account the opinions and suggestions of the Hong Kong Professional Service Outbound Platform and the Outbound Professional Service Expert Committee under the Department of Justice. As a member of the task force, the Department of Justice has been providing advice on professional services matters to the task force. The Expert Committee brings together a cross-professional service outbound team in Hong Kong, responsible for promoting and supporting professional service sectors to better meet the needs of Mainland enterprises for professional services. The Department of Justice will compile and publish a roster of professional service providers supporting outbound services to facilitate enterprises in connecting with the most suitable service provider based on their needs or industry requirements. To ensure the business capabilities and service quality of the providers listed on the roster, the Department of Justice will establish relevant criteria for applicants, such as demonstrating good professional ethics and providing practical cases of outbound business as references. Information on these outbound professional service providers will also be uploaded to a platform launched by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council on March 20 this year, providing Mainland enterprises with comprehensive and one-stop information as needed. The task force and the Hong Kong Professional Service Outbound Platform will continue to work closely together to effectively connect Mainland enterprises with the professional services they need through Hong Kong. In terms of promotion, the Mainland Enterprise Outbound Special Task Force held its first large-scale promotional event in Shanghai in November last year, promoting Hong Kong as the preferred platform for Mainland enterprises going global. The event was attended by leaders from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Shanghai municipal government, attracting over 500 business representatives. The task force has devised a promotional plan and will continue to work through Hong Kong's Mainland offices, the investment promotion teams stationed in the Mainland by the Trade Development Council, and the Trade Development Council's Mainland offices, collaborating with chambers of commerce and industry associations to hold promotional activities on different industry themes in Hong Kong and the Mainland. Additionally, the task force will organize overseas visits and inspections led by officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to allow Mainland enterprises with global plans to visit overseas markets and understand local conditions. On another front, the Hong Kong Business and Economic Development Bureau signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China in February this year to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Mainland in the field of comprehensive services overseas, enhancing the capacity to serve Mainland enterprises going global. The memorandum of understanding also explicitly supports the establishment of the professional service platform by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, providing services to Mainland enterprises going global.