SCED highlights Hong Kong’s business advantages and investment opportunities to Indian business community (with photos)
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The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, addressed more than 100 business leaders and senior executives from the Indian business community joining a webinar today (April 26), highlighting Hong Kong’s various institutional strengths and policies as well as its boundless business and investment opportunities for Indian companies as a base for Asia-Pacific operations and a gateway to the Mainland of China.
In the webinar entitled “Explore Business and Investment Opportunities in Hong Kong and Mainland China”, Mr Yau started by pointing out the close bonds between Hong Kong and India. In 2021, Hong Kong was India’s fourth largest trading partner while India was Hong Kong’s eighth largest trading partner.
He pointed out that Hong Kong is the world’s freest economy and a regional hub connecting the markets of the Mainland of China, India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, making Hong Kong an ideal place for doing business and investment.
He said that Hong Kong and India share the same vision in innovation and technology (I&T) development. While India is renowned for its strength in I&T, he expressed the belief that the increase in the number of start-ups in I&T in Hong Kong will provide fertile ground for the mutual development of I&T.
Mr Yau added that the National 14th Five-Year Plan has given Hong Kong a major role in a number of areas, including trade, finance, aviation, logistics, intellectual property trading, and arts and cultural exchanges. Hong Kong as the most international city in the region will provide India with a lot of business and investment opportunities in Hong Kong and the Mainland of China.
The webinar included a lively panel discussion by industry players as they spoke on their experiences and shared perspectives on how their businesses had benefited from Hong Kong’s advantages. The panel speakers included the Consultant for South Asia of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Rajesh Bhagat; the Country Head and Chief Executive Officer of State Bank of India, Hong Kong, Mr Shrirang Ketkar; Managing Committee member of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations Mr Mahesh Keyal; and the Managing Partner of Chandrawat & Partners, Mr Surendra Chandrawat.
The webinar received a positive response from Indian companies from a wide array of sectors, from manufacturing and consulting to education and I&T. A subsequent question-and-answer session was moderated by the Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Mr Stephen Phillips.
The webinar was co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore and InvestHK. It was supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.