Hong Kong's role as a global supply chain management center is becoming more stable, and the reshaping of the regional trade pattern brings new opportunities for development

The Zhitong Finance App learned that recently, a study published by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council showed that Hong Kong plays a key role in regional supply chain transformation. With core advantages such as free flow of capital, complete financial services, convenient transportation and logistics, and the gathering of professionals, Hong Kong has become an ideal place for mainland Chinese enterprises to set up overseas treasury centers and multinational supply chain management centers. The Hong Kong Investment Promotion Department and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council have joined forces to establish a high-value-added supply chain service mechanism to provide enterprises with one-stop consulting services, such as R&D support, application and technology evaluation, and professional consulting on overseas regulations, to protect enterprises on their “overseas” journey.

The findings further confirm Hong Kong's important position as a “super contact”. It is not only a core springboard for mainland Chinese enterprises to “go overseas”, but also a key gateway for global enterprises to enter mainland China and regional supply chains, and occupies an important position in the global supply chain.

Mainland Chinese enterprises are speeding up the diversification of their supply chains, and Hong Kong is becoming an ideal supply chain management center. According to statistics, over 90% of mainland Chinese enterprises plan to expand overseas markets in the next two years. Among them, the number of mainland Chinese enterprises choosing to “go overseas” through Hong Kong increased from 62% in 2023 to 77% last year, fully demonstrating that Hong Kong's role in helping mainland Chinese enterprises meet international standards and develop overseas markets is becoming more and more critical.

As an international financial center, Hong Kong is rapidly guiding and promoting the two-way flow of capital. According to investment data, Hong Kong, China's foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia in 2024 reached 35.5%, far higher than mainland China's 0.1%; while the Indonesian market's FDI share was 13.7%, slightly surpassing mainland China's 13.5%. The core reason is that mainland Chinese companies often choose to invest abroad through Hong Kong subsidiaries; at the same time, many global companies also chose to enter the mainland China market through Hong Kong. As of the end of June last year, a total of 1,390 US companies had entered Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is steadily advancing the construction of a “commodity trading ecosystem” with remarkable results. At the beginning of the year, Hong Kong successfully joined the London Metal Exchange (LME) global warehouse and delivery network. In less than nine months, along with the eight warehouses approved earlier, the total number of London Metal Exchange approved warehouses in Hong Kong has increased to 11, giving Hong Kong an advantage in terms of hardware and helping to make Hong Kong an important delivery hub for the London Metal Exchange in Asia. This move gives full play to Hong Kong's comprehensive advantages such as an international free port, zero tariffs, efficient customs clearance, and global logistics access, and also guarantees a stable supply of key metals resources in the region. In addition, the HKSAR Government has set up a task force to comprehensively review areas related to gold financial transactions, and plans to promote Hong Kong as an international gold trading center, including supporting physical gold transactions and further enriching the commodity trading ecosystem.