Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

"We are fully confident of Hong Kong's better development and welcome global companies to invest in Hong Kong, to share the benefits of Hong Kong's development under the 'One country, Two systems'," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday.

The remarks were made in response to Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's New Year message that Hong Kong has emerged from the trough of COVID-19, regained economic vitality, and HK people's livelihoods have continued to improve.

With the strong support of the central government in 2024, the Hong Kong SAR government demonstrated responsibility, pragmatism, and enterprise, Mao said. The SAR government focused on the economy and development, strengthened foreign exchanges and cooperation, which helped build up Hong Kong's development momentum.

Hong Kong was rated as the freest economy in the world, with its international financial center ranking rising to the third globally. The scale of global assets under management in the SAR has exceeded $4 trillion, and the annual number of tourist visits to Hong Kong reached 44 million, an increase of more than 30 percent year-on-year. About 170,000 people were attracted to Hong Kong through the Top Talent Pass Scheme, Mao noted.

Mao said that by the end of 2024, the total number of mainland and overseas companies in Hong Kong SAR reached nearly 10,000, and the number of local start-ups reached nearly 4,700, both setting new records. 

Global Times