Qiu Yinghua: Building the "One-Stop Economic and Trade Platform" and "Global Access to the Sea" to help small and medium-sized enterprises ride the wind and waves out to sea.

On June 17th, Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong, replied to questions from legislators at the Legislative Council meeting, stating that the Hong Kong government has been committed to assisting companies of different scales in Hong Kong to expand into overseas markets. This includes local and mainland Chinese multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, and startups, helping to develop Hong Kong's outbound services as a new economic growth point, while promoting the vigorous development of various professional and commercial services in Hong Kong (including related small and medium enterprises), bringing unlimited business opportunities to Hong Kong. To support local small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong expanding overseas business, the "Brand Development, Upgrading and Transformation, and Domestic Sales Expansion Fund" (BUD Fund) has been providing funding to the industry since its launch in 2012. It encourages non-listed companies in Hong Kong to develop branding, upgrade transformation, and expand marketing to tap into more diversified markets and enhance competitiveness. Since 2018, the Hong Kong government has optimized the BUD Fund several times, including injecting a total of HK$9.38 billion. As of the end of May 2026, the BUD Fund has approved more than 13,000 applications, reflecting the industry's continued demand for the fund. The BUD Fund's funding scope is wide-ranging, covering various measures to assist companies in expanding markets and business development, including participating in exhibitions in economies covered by the BUD Fund, advertising, applying for trademark registration, testing or certification, and creating or optimizing company websites. On June 15, 2026, the Hong Kong government further optimized the BUD Fund by increasing the funding ceiling per application to HK$150,000 and expanding the fund's coverage to a total of 48 economies, including countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. This will help Hong Kong's local small and medium enterprises seize opportunities in overseas markets. In terms of market information dissemination, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council under the Small and Medium Enterprises Support and Consultation Center, the SME Service Center of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the SME One-Stop Center of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, and TecONE of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation will continue to provide comprehensive services and co-organize seminar series like the "Four-in-One" to equip small and medium enterprises in handling the need for business development. To address the lack of overseas networks and sufficient resources for small and medium enterprises to conduct in-depth research on overseas investment strategies, the Trade Development Council of Hong Kong conducts economic and trade research in different regions, covering business environments, local policies and regulations, latest industry opportunities, economic data, relevant practical resource links, and publishes research reports on its website for SMEs to better grasp overseas opportunities and develop relevant strategies. The Trade Development Council will continue to strengthen economic and trade research to better support enterprises in developing overseas business. In addition, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of Hong Kong has established the "Economic and Trade One-Stop" platform to reinforce the collaboration among Hong Kong's overseas economic and trade offices, Invest Hong Kong, and the Trade Development Council, actively organizing more overseas business visits for local small and medium enterprises and startups to assist Hong Kong businesses in seeking opportunities overseas, as well as facilitating more companies to invest and establish businesses in Hong Kong. Since the first quarter of 2026, the Hong Kong government has organized continuous business study tours for local small and medium enterprises and startups to foreign countries through the "Economic and Trade One-Stop," including leading 60 local technology companies to participate in the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2026 and join activities under the "Economic and Trade One-Stop" to promote exchanges and expand networks for Hong Kong startups with local companies; and organizing 18 representatives from Hong Kong enterprises in the construction, engineering, smart city development, and other service industries to visit Bangkok, Thailand in March 2026 and participate in the "GreenBiz HK Green Business Hong Kong Building" event organized by the "Economic and Trade One-Stop." The government will continue to plan overseas study tours based on the needs and preferences of enterprises, target markets, suitable visit times, etc., to assist Hong Kong businesses in expanding their overseas business. Regarding export credit insurance, to help small and medium enterprises expand into new business areas, the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation will launch a pilot scheme called "SME Protection Easy" in July to provide protection for small and medium enterprises engaging in export transactions with higher-risk buyers. In April of this year, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council officially launched the "Global Expansion Platform" to provide cross-sector professional services, bringing together eight categories of Hong Kong professional service providers, including financial services; legal services; accounting, tax, and business consulting services; design, marketing, and brand management services; logistics and transportation services; communication and information technology services; infrastructure and real estate-related services; and testing and certification services, to accurately match the service needs of Mainland companies expanding overseas and provide professional consulting services. Currently, the platform has more than 200 Hong Kong professional service providers, catering not only to large enterprises but also to small and medium-sized service providers, offering a more diverse and appropriate range of services to enterprises expanding overseas. In June of this year, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong led a high-level delegation of mainland and Hong Kong business representatives to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, resulting in fruitful outcomes, including reaching 96 cooperation agreements with a total value exceeding USD 1.65 billion. The Belt and Road Office will invite relevant institutions to bring projects to Hong Kong for roadshows, making it easier for Hong Kong companies, including small and medium enterprises, to obtain project information and seize opportunities to participate in projects. The government will continue to assist local and mainland companies in expanding overseas and will continuously optimize relevant measures to meet the needs of different types and sizes of enterprises.