Hong Kong opens doors to Polish firms

The Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Conference in Warsaw introduced combined business advantages that Hong Kong and Guangdong offer Polish companies.

More than 1,000 senior business executives and representatives from the governments of Poland, Hong Kong and Guangdong participated in the Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Conference in Warsaw on Thursday.

Jointly organised by Invest Hong Kong and Guangdong's Department of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation, the conference highlighted the combined business advantages that Hong Kong and Guangdong offer Polish companies.

It was the first time a conference the governments of the Hong Kong and Guangdong had hosted a conference of this scale in Poland. Chief Secretary Stephen Lam and Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua delivered keynote speeches at the conference, according to a government report.

Focusing on the synergy of Hong Kong and Guangdong economic co-operation in the Greater Pearl River Delta Region, Mr Lam encouraged Polish corporations to establish a base in Hong Kong and make good use of the strong co-operation between the two places.

He said the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation reaffirms Hong Kong's status as a global centre for finance, trade and logistics. By combining the city's strengths with those of its neighbour, Hong Kong aims to establish the region as a world class metropolis and one of the most competitive regions in the world by 2020.

Bilateral trade between Hong Kong and Poland rose by an annual average of nearly 15% between 2006 and 2010. In 2010, total trade between the two economies topped US$850 million.

Mr Lam also described Hong Kong's efforts in developing its offshore renminbi businesses, financial services, and new growth industries. He encouraged Polish companies to seize business opportunities in Hong Kong.