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Commerce and Industry
The main components of Hong Kong's exports of services were in travel and transport, accounting for 32.2 per cent and 28.7 per cent respectively of the total value. The territory is a net exporter of services and had an overall surplus of $256.3 billion during the year, recording surpluses of $80 billion and $112.5 billion in travel and transport respectively.
Inward Direct Investment
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's World Investment Report 2018, Hong Kong was the third largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) flow in the world in 2017, after the US and the Mainland. The report entitled External Direct Investment Statistics of Hong Kong 2017, released by the Census and Statistics Department, indicated Hong Kong's FDI inflow in 2017 amounted to $979.6 billion. At the end of 2017, the position of direct investment liabilities' totalled $16,943.5 billion. Chart 2 shows selected major investor countries and territories of inward direct investment. The British Virgin Islands was the largest, accounting for 32.8 per cent of the total. Chart 3 shows the major economic activities of Hong Kong enterprise groups2 having received inward direct investment. Those engaged in investment and holding, real estate, professional and business services took up the largest share, at 69.7 per cent of the total.
A survey covering some 8,700 companies in Hong Kong with parent companies located outside Hong Kong found 3,955 of them had regional headquarters or regional offices here as at June 2018.
1 According to the latest international statistical standards, the FDI inflow and the position of direct investment liabilities presented in this paragraph are compiled based on the asset/liability principle, while detailed inward direct investment figures analysed by selected major country/territory and by major economic activity of Hong Kong enterprise groups presented in charts 2 and 3 respectively are based on the directional principle. Owing to the adoption of different presentation principles, the aggregate position of direct investment liabilities is different from the overall totals of the detailed inward direct investment figures by selected major country/territory or by major economic activity of Hong Kong enterprise groups.
2
A Hong Kong enterprise group consists mainly of a Hong Kong parent company and its Hong Kong subsidiaries, associates and branches.
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