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Commerce and Industry
and Facilitation Directorate in Brussels, Belgium, the WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific in Seoul, South Korea, and the WCO Asia Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building in Bangkok, Thailand. They help take forward the WCO's initiatives.
Under the Hong Kong Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, local companies that satisfy pre-determined security standards may be accredited by the department as AEOs and can enjoy customs facilitation, including less inspection and prioritised clearance of their goods. To provide AEOS with more clearance benefits at the international level, the department has concluded mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) with the customs administrations of the Mainland, India, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. The department will continue to develop more MRAS between Hong Kong and its principal trading partners.
The department co-operates with other customs administrations and law enforcement agencies and regular bilateral meetings are held with the Mainland and other customs authorities to exchange intelligence and experience on enforcement. It has put in place bilateral co-operation arrangements with a number of customs administrations.
Inward Investment Promotion
In 2015, Invest Hong Kong helped a record 375 overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese companies set up or expand operations in Hong Kong involving direct investment of more than $10.1 billion and the creation of over 3,600 new jobs within the first year of their operation/ expansion3.
Invest Hong Kong organised or sponsored a range of activities, including the Asian Financial Forum, Art Basel, Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference, Cosmoprof, Asian Venture Capital Journal Private Equity and Venture Forum, Super Return Asia, and Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia Convention 2015. It also organised joint investment promotions with Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and Macao in the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to promote advantages offered by the economic integration of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region.
During the year, Invest Hong Kong organised a series of promotional programmes in high- growth Mainland cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Lanzhou, Mianyang and Chengdu, so as to promote Hong Kong as the ideal platform for Mainland companies to go global. Invest Hong Kong completed 78 projects from the Mainland, representing 21 per cent of the total number of Invest Hong Kong's completed projects.
In addition, Invest Hong Kong continued a StartmeupHK initiative with an aim to attracting global start-ups to set up business in Hong Kong and to promote the territory as a leading hub for start-ups and entrepreneurship.
3
As reported by some of the companies assisted by Invest Hong Kong. Not all the companies disclosed their data.
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