ENG-2011 — Page 154

114 Commerce and Industry

Inward Investment Promotion

In 2011, notwithstanding the challenges of the global economic downturn, Invest Hong Kong assisted a record 303 overseas, Mainland and Taiwan companies in setting up or expanding operations in Hong Kong3, involving direct investment of some HK$5 billion and the creation of about over 2 700 new jobs within the first year of their operation/expansion4.

The department organised a range of activities in 2011 including sector-focused events that provided networking platforms for overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese companies from various industries and services. It also organised programmes for foreign communities in Hong Kong and participated in major international and regional business forums to raise the profile of the city, identify potential leads and provide after-care services to existing companies in Hong Kong. Some of the major events sponsored in 2011 included the Asian Financial Forum, Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Society of Publishers in Asia Awards Dinner, ArtHK, 'Think Asia Think Hong Kong' promotion in London, Winefuture, World SME Expo, Super Return Asia, and the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia Convention.

In 2011, Invest Hong Kong organised joint investment promotion activities to promote the combined advantages offered by the economic integration of Hong Kong and the Mainland with five Mainland provinces and cities in the Pearl River Delta Region including Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Macao, and held events in key overseas cities, including Warsaw, Munich, Taipei, Bogota and Sao Paulo.

The integrated marketing campaign to promote Hong Kong as China's Global Financial Services Centre continued in 2011, with campaigns held in leading financial centres including New York, Edinburgh, Zurich, Geneva and Luxembourg. The department also tapped into the outward investment potential of the Mainland through a series of promotional programmes, including investment promotion seminars and sector-focused workshops in high-growth Mainland cities, like Tianjin, Suzhou, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Changsha and Xiamen. The department completed 56 projects related to Mainland investments in Hong Kong in 2011, representing 18 per cent of the total number of completed projects.

Small and Medium Enterprises

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) refers to those manufacturing businesses in Hong Kong employing fewer than 100 people, or non-manufacturing businesses with fewer than 50. There are about 303 000 SMEs in Hong Kong, representing over 98 per cent of all local enterprises and employing more than 1.2 million people. To provide assistance to SMEs, three SME funding schemes have been set up to help SMEs secure loans from financial institutions, expand overseas markets and enhance

3

These represent companies assisted by Invest Hong Kong, and do not include companies set up in Hong Kong without such assistance.

These represent investment amount and job opportunities reported by the companies assisted by Invest Hong Kong. Not all of these companies disclosed the data.