ENG-2019 — Page 130

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Commerce and Industry

State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council; and supported the Ministry of Commerce to stage an exchange seminar on B&R trade and investment policies and measures.

In April, the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, led a high-level delegation to participate in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. A dedicated session. themed 'Belt and Road: Hong Kong IN' was held to showcase Hong Kong's positioning as an international gateway and important hub for the Mainland, and to highlight Hong Kong's cross-sectoral expertise.

From time to time, the government and the HKTDC organise business and professional missions to B&R-related countries and regions. During the year, the bureau led delegations on three missions to Georgia and Hungary; Spain, Serbia and the UAE; and Malaysia and Thailand.

In December, the HKSAR Government, in collaboration with Mainland authorities, embarked on the Belt and Road Joint Conference Policy Exchanges and Capacity Building Programme. The programme featured presentations, discussions and site visits covering finance, business and trade, legal and dispute resolution, city management, transport and aviation, and professional

services.

Inward Investment Promotion

In 2019, InvestHK helped 487 overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese companies set up or expand operations in Hong Kong, involving direct investment of more than $52.3 billion and the creation of over 6,000 new jobs within the first year of their operation or expansion3.

The department promotes the city's business advantages by organising investment promotion activities in the Mainland and key overseas markets, and by sponsoring important events which will bring FDI to Hong Kong, including the Innovate Finance Global Summit and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia. It organised a joint symposium with the Guangdong and Macao governments in Tokyo to promote the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and conducted programmes in the high-growth Mainland cities of Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an and Zhengzhou to promote Hong Kong's unique roles in the B&R Initiative and its position as the ideal platform. for Mainland companies to go global. InvestHK completed 115 investment projects from the Mainland during the year, representing 25 per cent of its total number of completed projects.

The StartmeupHK initiative under the department aims to attract global start-ups to set up business in Hong Kong, promote the territory as a leading hub for start-ups and entrepreneurship, and support the development of the local start-up ecosystem. It hosted the week-long StartmeupHK Festival in January to promote innovation and technology, recording over 17,000 delegates.

InvestHK's financial technology team helps overseas and Mainland fintech-related companies establish their presence in Hong Kong and organises international events, such as the annual

3

As reported by some of the companies assisted by InvestHK. Not all the companies disclosed their data.

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