The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Ningbo in Zhejiang province inked 18 cooperation project agreements covering port and shipping services, high-end equipment, biomedicine, and financial services on Monday, lifting the relationship between the two cities to a new height.
The deals were a highlight of the Ningbo-Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Forum 2026 held in the Hong Kong SAR on Monday.
Under the theme “Ningbo-Hong Kong Cooperation, Mutual Empowerment, and Jointly Launching a New Chapter of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30)”, this year’s forum attracted more than 500 guests, including representatives from government, business sectors and universities.
In his opening remarks, Hong Kong SAR Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Cheuk Wing-hing said Hong Kong is pushing forward the development of the Northern Metropolis, hoping to further promote industry-academia-research collaboration with the Ningbo Higher Education Park in order to cultivate international talent.
Constructed in 1999, the Ningbo Higher Education Park was the first higher education park in the country.
Cheuk said he hopes more Ningbo companies capitalize on Hong Kong’s one-stop professional go-global platform to enhance their international competitiveness as well as serving overall national development.
Wang Cheng, Party secretary for Ningbo, said the city will focus on the development of new quality productive forces, promoting deep collaboration by utilizing Hong Kong's scientific research, financial capital, and high-end services alongside Ningbo's advanced manufacturing and abundant application scenarios.
During the forum, representatives from both cities promoted their business sectors and engaged in dialogue sessions centering on themes such as the integration of technological and industrial innovation, high-end port and shipping services cooperation, and linking global resources through Hong Kong.
Since its inaugural edition in 2002, the Ningbo-Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Forum has facilitated the signing of 283 cooperation projects.
By the end of 2024, Ningbo entrepreneurs had established over 1,000 companies in Hong Kong, 23 of which are listed on Hong Kong’s stock market. Ningbo had also hosted over 7,900 Hong Kong-funded enterprises as of late 2025, with a cumulative total investment of $154.1 billion.
Roys Zhang also contributed to this story.
