Fujian province and Hong Kong (HK) can flourish together with boundless potential and the promise for cooperation — a key takeaway from the Fujian Development Promotion Conference, held in Hong Kong on Thursday.

To further deepen the exchanges and cooperation between Fujian and Hong Kong, Fujian provincial officials led a delegation on a visit to Hong Kong for the conference. The conference aimed to showcase Fujian’s strengths, highlight its cultural and tourism resources, and create investment opportunities between the two regions.

Fujian’s Party secretary, Zhou Zuyi, said at the conference that Fujian has been showing positive growth momentum. The central government has granted Fujian a series of pioneering policies, such as the establishment of a pilot free-trade zone, Zhou said.

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When discussing Fujian’s economy, Zhou said that for many years, Fujian has consistently ranked eighth in GDP among all mainland provinces. In 2024, Fujian's provincial GDP reached 5.78 trillion yuan ($805.2 billion), and it is expected to exceed 6 trillion yuan this year, Zhou said. Since the beginning of this year, the provincial economy has continued to recover from the pandemic, with GDP growing by 5.7 percent year-on-year in the first half, 0.4 percentage points higher than the national average, Zhou added.

Along with economic growth, Fujian has maintained excellent ecological and environmental quality, Zhou said. The province’s forest coverage rate stands at 62.15 percent, ranking first among all mainland provinces for 46 consecutive years, he said. Key environmental indicators, including water and air quality, also remain among the best in the country, he added.

Bernard Chan Pak-li, Hong Kong undersecretary of commerce and economic development, said at the conference that in the financial sector, Hong Kong can provide Fujian enterprises with ample access to foreign capital and resources, helping them expand globally and integrate with international standards.

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Zhou also said that Hong Kong has also become the region with the highest number of overseas listings from Fujian. Seventy Fujian companies currently are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ranking the province sixth on the mainland, Zhou added. This year alone, five new Fujian-based companies have been listed, including CATL, the world’s largest IPO so far this year, Zhou said.

When it comes to technological innovation, Hong Kong can support companies in Fujian to accelerate the integration of research and development, and technological innovation, Chan added. In the development of a green economy, Fujian and Hong Kong also can join forces to jointly accelerate the progress toward the national dual-carbon goals, Chan said.

Miao Jianmin, chairman of China Merchants Group (CMG), said at the news conference that Hong Kong has long been Fujian’s largest source of foreign investment. Miao added that CMG will capitalize on its position as a central enterprise based in Hong Kong to work closely with the local business community, in supporting Fujian companies’ global expansion and deepening collaboration between the two regions.

Contact the writer at mikegu@chinadailyhk.com