John Lee vows to attract more overseas enterprises to set foot in HK

Hong Kong leader John Lee has vowed to attract more mainland and international enterprises to set up headquarters or corporate divisions in the city, aiming to boost local economy and employment rate.

Speaking ahead of his policy address scheduled to be delivered next month, Lee said in a Facebook post that Hong Kong’s stable consumer market and untapped potential position it as a strategic springboard for overseas businesses aiming to access the mainland market.

"During the economic transition period, businesses should provide updated and more creative services and products while also integrating innovative online and offline marketing strategies to align with the preferences of the public and the market. Hong Kong has a stable and potentially limitless consumer market, serving as a testing ground to help overseas businesses expand into the mainland market,” Lee said. 

Lee also expressed confidence that mainland enterprises would increasingly collaborate with Hong Kong companies to explore emerging markets abroad. In addition to the Middle East and ASEAN countries, the govenrment will also continue to explore more emerging markets with significant potential in the future.

Meanwhile, Lee said that as of the end of July this year, the total number of registered local companies exceeded 1.5 million, while registered non-local companies surpassed 15,000, both reaching historic highs. Since January 2023 until July 2025, Invest Hong Kong has assisted 1,333 enterprises in establishing or expanding operations in the city, attracting HK$174 billion in first-year direct investment and creating over 19,000 new jobs.

"In the face of complex and changing geopolitical challenges and the new trade landscape, our efforts to attract investment will not stop; they will only become more steady and swift, bringing greater momentum to the local economy," Lee said. 

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Echoing Lee’s thoughts, the city's finance chief, Paul Chan said in his weekly blog that the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) will announce the fifth batch of targeted enterprises, involving over 10 companies, many of which are from overseas, including several leading international pharmaceutical firms. This will bring the total number of companies introduced since the establishment of the office at the end of 2022 to around 100.

Among the over 100 projects invested in by the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), more than 10 companies have either already applied for or are preparing to apply for listing in Hong Kong, with each investment attracting more than five times its value in long-term market funding, Chan added. 

Chan emphasised that Hong Kong's advanced medical services and research framework, along with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) market, make the city an ideal location for pharmaceutical companies to explore development in mainland China and the broader Asian market.

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