INVESTMENT
In the 150 years that Hong Kong has been administered by Britain, some British companies have become so established in the territory that many people would be surprised to know that they are Britisn owned.
The Jardines Group has been associated with Hong
Kong throughout its history.
The Hong Kong Telecom Co., the biggest company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is over 50% owned by
Cable and wireless.
Swire Pacific, owner of Cathay Pacific Airlines,
is 27% owned by the John Swire Group.
Other major "Hong Kong" companies that remain clearly British are the Standard Chartered Bank (which issues some of the territory's banknotes), Inchcape,
British American Tobacco and Shell.
Assets:
Hong Kong is one of the world's freest economies and for that reason it is difficult to put a precise value
on British investment in the territory.
A review by the British Trade Commission
estimates that British companies' net assets in Hong Kong
are worth between £2.5 and £3 billion.
This includes the total net assets of companies wholly owned from Britain and a proportion of assets of
companies partly British owned.
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