The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s legislative and capital advantages position the city as the primary bridge between Chinese mainland high-tech enterprises and international markets, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday.
“Translating research outcomes into overseas orders remains a key challenge as these technology and innovation companies venture abroad and scale up globally,” Chan wrote in his weekly blog. “Hong Kong serves not only as a vital channel for attracting investment but also as a key link enabling Chinese enterprises and products to go global.”
The common law system, intellectual property protection and the concentration of international capital and talent bring the unique advantage for Hong Kong to better accelerate Chinese companies’ expansion into overseas markets, he said.
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During the past week, the finance chief attended the annual meeting of the New Champions 2026 -- known as the Summer Davos -- in Dalian, Laioning province, and the First Western Commercial Space Conference in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. He met with local government officials, business leaders and academic representatives in both provinces, noting that entrepreneurs expressed a strong desire to raise international capital to support their global business expansion.
The support of patient capital is particularly crucial for the hard-tech sector, Chan said, given its long development cycles and heavy upfront investment requirements. This makes long-term investors who’re willing to share risks indispensable.
“Hong Kong can play a leading role in this regard by mobilizing international long-term capital to invest in early-stage and small-scale ventures with a long-term horizon, thereby fostering the growth and expansion of promising technology enterprises as well as companies in emerging and future industries,” he said.
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Chan also highlighted the critical role of talent and education in driving technological development and industrialization. Citing universities in Xi’an, where researchers are encouraged to commercialize their research outcomes and many doctoral science and engineering students have founded at least one or two startups, he said Hong Kong’s upcoming Northern Metropolis University Town shares this vision.
Proposed in the HKSAR’s prospective five-year plan, the Northern Metropolis University Town is one of the core strategic projects that align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
“We welcome strengthened cooperation with institutions and enterprises across Liaoning and Shaanxi provinces to bring together top-tier research teams, international experts, and talent,” Chan said.
The HKSAR aims to drive multidimensional development of technological and industrial innovation by fostering a virtuous cycle of mutual empowerment among education, technology, talent and industry, he added.
