HKTDC Announces New Activity Highlights for 2018/19

26 February 2018 – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has announced highlights of its activities for the coming financial year 2018/19 which leverage opportunities arising from continued growth in mature and emerging markets and key developments. To help companies in Hong Kong capture these opportunities, the HKTDC will widen its network across more industry sectors, expand its reach around the world, increase its market research and help Hong Kong’s start-ups, the younger generation and its own organisation to be future-ready.

Capturing Opportunities from Key Developments in the Mainland and around the world
HKTDC Chairman Vincent HS Lo said: “For over five decades, we have been helping to promote business opportunities for Hong Kong.  In the coming year, we will look at the renewed growth in mature markets, industry trends and developments such as the Belt and Road Initiative and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area as cornerstones to help more sectors in Hong Kong benefit from business prospects.

At the same time, preparing for the future has never been more important. We will look at equipping our organisation, our city’s start-ups and SMEs as well as young people with the skills, network and experience to remain competitive.”

To help consolidate Hong Kong’s market status as the commercial hub of the Belt and Road Initiative, HKTDC set up the Belt and Road Committee late last year. The Council is planning to open consultant offices in Kazakhstan, Kenya and Saudi Arabia, and will set up Hong Kong business associations in Chile, Korea, Brunei and Myanmar.  In addition, The Council will form a Belt and Road Global Forum to connect local, mainland and international organisations to facilitate the capturing of business opportunities along the Belt and Road.

To address the professional needs of potential investors, the HKTDC will focus on the promotion of Hong Kong’s strengths in infrastructure and logistics, risk management and dispute resolution. The Council will organise the third Belt and Road Summit on 28 June with an expanded one-to-one business matching session.  The Council will also organise outbound missions for professionals from the financial, infrastructure and accounting sectors to Belt and Road countries including Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.

In order to help businesses grasp new market intelligence through market research, HKTDC will publish Doing Business in India, and Infrastructure opportunities in Russia and Belarus among its new research reports. The Council will also launch a dedicated e-newsletter on the latest Belt and Road intelligence and investment opportunities.

Seizing new opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area
While Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau each has different strengths, the Greater Bay Area programme helps to combine these diverse strengths and create synergy, elevating the entire area to a different level and creating new business opportunities for Hong Kong. HKTDC will organise a technology mission to selected Bay Area cities, such as Shenzhen, Huizhou, Zhuhai and Foshan to connect Hong Kong companies with their mainland counterparts. Besides, the Council will organise a promotion event called “Building for the Future” in Guangzhou in 2019, with a special focus on smart city and sustainable and integrated urban development for the Bay Area.

Promoting Hong Kong Brands and e-Commerce
The proliferation of e-tailing has disrupted the traditional import-export paradigm.   The HKTDC will step up its collaboration with renowned e-tailers, especially targeting ASEAN and other emerging markets to help Hong Kong exporters tap into the fast-growing global e-tailing market. The Council will connect Hong Kong brands to e-tailers through customised business matching and networking programmes, while there will be a Hong Kong zone in leading regional e-tailing platforms.  In addition, HKTDC will engage m-commerce or e-tailing platforms for the “See Now, Buy Now” business model at international fashion weeks.

This year, the Council will stage a “Hong Kong Galleria” to highlight Hong Kong brands and products at design-focused international trade events, and mount “Lifestyle Expo” in Dubai, UAE with a side mission to Africa.  In addition, HKTDC will organise “In Style Hong Kong” in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to promote Hong Kong’s professional services and brands

Boosting Growth in Mature Markets
HKTDC will also hold an international promotion event “Think Global, Think Hong Kong” in Tokyo, to promote Hong Kong’s city brand and overall business advantages to Japanese companies, as well as the city’s unrivalled bridging role for firms interested in expanding to the Chinese mainland and ASEAN markets. In addition, the Council will strengthen its efforts to attract buyers from the United States and Nordic countries to attend our trade exhibitions, focussing on promising segment markets and product categories, such as the silver market, toys, baby and environmental products, with study missions and product promotion events.

Equipping SMEs and Start-ups
To sustain the city’s long-termed competitiveness, it is important to nurture start-ups and a new generation of entrepreneurs who embrace new technologies and have a global perspective. HKTDC will introduce more SME and startups-focused services, while providing business and entrepreneurial opportunities for the younger generation to encourage them to think global when expanding their businesses.

In March, the Council will announce a brand new start-ups development programme which will help new businesses in the areas of network building, market development and funding . Key events include training workshop, meeting with business leaders, missions to mainland and Asian cities, local exhibitions and overseas trade promotion events. HKTDC will also develop a Start-up Portal and build an online community featuring star mentors. For start-ups that have been operating for three years or more, HKTDC will launch “Startup-Plus”, which is a special pricing package for participation in the Council’s exhibition and promotional services.

In addition, HKTDC will enhance the organisation’s staff training and systems and tools to continue raising the bar on the quality and value of its work.

Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC’s Communications and Public Affairs Department:

Susanna Sin              Tel: (852) 2584 4294                    Email: susanna.kc.sin@hktdc.org

About the HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.