Chan says key firms invested HK$28.3 billion by September
AM730 · 4 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po (陳茂波) said the first six batches of companies brought in under Hong Kong’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises had made HK$28.3 billion in actual investment by the end of September and hired more than 10,300 people, both above interim targets. He said the office welcomed an 18-company seventh batch this week, bringing the total number of firms that have set up or expanded in Hong Kong to 142, with projected investment of about HK$84 billion and about 27,000 jobs in the coming years.
Key Points
- Chan said the seventh batch includes 18 key enterprises, with half coming from outside mainland China and several valued at more than HK$100 billion.
- By the end of September, the first six batches had delivered HK$28.3 billion in actual investment and hired over 10,300 staff, 30% and 34% above interim goals.
- About 70% of the first six batches set up global or regional headquarters in Hong Kong, while nearly 90% established research and development centres.
- Those firms were using 2.83 million square feet of commercial and industrial floor space, more than 50% higher than in March last year.
- Chan said the government recently proposed injecting HK$10 billion in seed funding into the San Tin Technopole company to speed site formation and first-phase industrial facilities.
Why It Matters
The figures suggest the government’s enterprise-attraction drive is moving from pledges to measurable spending, hiring and demand for office and industrial space in Hong Kong. Chan also pointed to biotech collaboration with universities and hospitals, plus new gold refining, storage and trading plans, as areas where incoming firms could deepen local industry chains and research commercialization.