Hong Kong’s business community expects the city to further consolidate its financial strengths and is betting on fresh policy incentives in the upcoming fiscal year to bolster the development of local enterprises and cultivate more diverse growth engines.
Speaking at a New Year reception on Tuesday, Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said that the special administrative region government should continue fostering the city’s position as an international financial center.
He also called for faster progress in developing Hong Kong into a global innovation hub.
“Building an innovation hub cannot rely on Hong Kong alone. (The government) should also consider how to deeper integrate into and cooperate with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, particularly Shenzhen,” Choi said.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po is set to deliver the SAR government’s 2026-27 Budget on Wednesday morning.
Choi said he expects the SAR government to adopt more innovative approaches to land development under the Northern Metropolis project, and introduce more favorable policies in the upcoming Budget to “attract talent and businesses”.
He also said he looks forward to seeing more support measures for local small- and medium-sized enterprises to help them explore new markets — not only on the Chinese mainland, but also in emerging regions such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
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In 2025, the number of registered local companies and companies relocating to Hong Kong surpassed 1.55 million, up by more than 96,000 from the previous year. The number of overseas and mainland firms operating in the city rose 11 percent to over 11,000, while more than 5,200 startups were based in Hong Kong.
“In the new year, Hong Kong will go all out to attract more high value-added industries and high-potential enterprises to establish a presence in the city,” said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who also attended the event.
Lee said the government will capitalize on Hong Kong's extensive economic and trade network, rolling out new services to help SMEs and startups stay attuned to global market trends and seize overseas business opportunities.
The SAR government will also guide various sectors on aligning with the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), and consolidate the advantages of Hong Kong’s traditional industries while actively exploring new drivers of economic growth, he added.
