The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region pledged to continue to attract enterprises and investment as well as to leverage the SAR’s financial services industry to serve the national development objectives put forward by the central government’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).

Government officials made their remarks at the Legislative Council meeting on Thursday when lawmakers put forward a motion urging the SAR to proactively formulate a development vision to align with the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan.

The administration will create new growth engines to support the high-quality development of the real economy, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Joseph Chan Ho-lim said during the meeting.

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“We will promote financial technology and assist mainland technology companies to secure financing in Hong Kong;  expand new opportunities in commodity and gold trading; accelerate the development of green finance; deepen cooperation with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the carbon market pilot program; and develop suitable products in pension finance, asset management and insurance,” Chan said.

Based on the successes of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, the Bond Connect, and the Cross-border Wealth Management Connect, the SAR will continue expanding financial market connectivity during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

“This includes promoting the inclusion of real estate investment trusts in the connect programs, launching offshore government bond futures, advancing the inclusion of renminbi-counter transactions in the stock connect program, and optimizing the interconnection of the Faster Payment System,” Chan said.

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At the same time, the SAR will consolidate and enhance market advantages by bolstering the competitiveness of the stock market, facilitating the return of Chinese concept stocks, and strengthening the offshore renminbi business hub. It will also safeguard financial security through optimizing market supervision and strengthening coordination with national financial regulatory authorities to improve cross-border risk monitoring.

In the Legislative Council meeting, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan Pak-li said, “the SAR government will continue to lure enterprises and investment with a more proactive, systematic, and comprehensive strategy, fully leveraging its dual roles as a ‘superconnector’ and ‘super value-adder’ to promote Hong Kong's deeper integration into and service to the overall national development strategy.”

The Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global has been launched, bringing together resources from all sectors to create a one-stop platform to support mainland enterprises embarking on overseas business expansion.

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“In addition to actively supporting mainland enterprises in going global, the government will continue to deepen international exchanges and cooperation and attract overseas enterprises coming into the SAR,” Chan said.

The government will continue to explore extending the network of the Economic and Trade Offices to more markets with development potential, including Central Asia, the Middle East, and other countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, Chan said.