Hong Kong and Singapore are natural partners not rivals: Commissioner Ho

Together they can help unlock the region’s full potential.

Hong Kong and Singapore are “natural partners” who have synergy to work together and take advantage of the windfall of investments moving east, a senior official from Hong Kong said.

“We can work closely together to make sure that the capital, the talent, the opportunities go in the right place in a high-quality manner, in a sustainable manner. That’s something that I think Singapore and Hong Kong should always work together on,” Nicholas Ho, Hong Kong’s commissioner for Belt and Road, told Singapore Business Review at the sidelines of the SCMP GBA Summit in July 2026.

Ho noted that the two cities attract a lot of international investors and talent in the region, and that one single city cannot serve Asia’s growth—which he calls “the most important economic story of the century.”

“Competition drives partnership,” Ho said, noting that people often pit the two cities against each other. “Only by working together can we fully unlock ASEAN and GBA’s potential.”

Ho recalled a recent visit by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Hong Kong. Wong had stood at the rooftop of one of the Northern Metropolis’ buildings, looking out towards the view of Shenzhen across the river. Ho said that this image reflects Hong Kong and Singapore’s roles as two hubs in the region.

“Like GBA and ASEAN, there is no better hub that can support these two growth engines than Hong Kong, and of course…Singapore is an important hub in ASEAN,” Ho said.

Ho’s view echoes that of InvestHK’s director general Alpha Lau, who called Hong Kong as Chinese companies’ international springboard.

Companies from Chinese provinces are expected to still come to Hong Kong to access foreign capital and use the city as the site of their international headquarters, Alpha Lau said in an interview with Singapore Business Review.