Li Jiachao: Actively connecting with the national "15th Five-Year Plan" to help enterprises go overseas and open up business opportunities.

On February 24, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stated at the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce's Spring Festival Cocktail Party that Hong Kong's economic growth is steady. By 2025, Hong Kong's economy is expected to grow by 3.5% year-on-year, with goods exports and imports increasing by 12% each. The local retail market in Hong Kong is also steadily recovering, with total retail sales expected to rebound in 2025. John Lee Ka-chiu pointed out that Hong Kong is an international financial, shipping, and trading center, and last year, it continued to lead in various international rankings. Hong Kong ranked first in the world's freest economy ranking and third in global competitiveness. Last year, the number of locally registered companies and companies moving to Hong Kong exceeded 1.55 million, a significant increase year-on-year. The number of overseas and mainland companies in Hong Kong increased by 11%, reaching over 11,000, and the number of startups increased by 11% to over 5,200, all hitting record highs. This year marks the beginning of China's "14th Five-Year Plan," and John Lee Ka-chiu will lead the Hong Kong SAR government in creating Hong Kong's first five-year plan to align with the national plan. The government will actively engage with society to align with the national plan, leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" framework to consolidate traditional industries and explore new economic growth points, enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness and international influence while actively integrating into and serving the country's development. In the new year, Hong Kong will leap forward and play its role as a "super connector" and "super value-added person." John Lee Ka-chiu stated that the Hong Kong SAR government has established a new Mainland Enterprise Go Global Task Force to actively attract mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong as a platform for international expansion. Through the task force's cross-disciplinary professional services platform, Hong Kong's world-class professional services will be matched with outbound enterprises to assist them. The government also leverages Hong Kong's extensive economic network by establishing a new "Economic and Trade One-Stop Advisory" to systematically help small and medium enterprises and startups understand different markets and explore overseas opportunities. In the new year, Hong Kong will unleash its full potential to attract more high-value industries and high-potential enterprises to set up in Hong Kong. The current government has established the Key Enterprises Promotion Office since taking office, attracting 102 key enterprises in strategic industries to Hong Kong over the past three years. These industries include life and health sciences, artificial intelligence and data science, financial technology, advanced manufacturing and new energy technology, and cultural creativity, with an expected total investment of HKD 60 billion in the coming years, creating 22,000 new high-quality jobs. By the end of last month, more than half of these key enterprises were listed companies, and another 12% were preparing for listing. 75% of the enterprises have chosen to set up global or regional headquarters in Hong Kong, with 90% establishing or planning to establish research and development centers in Hong Kong. The government will continue to use preferential policies to attract more high-potential enterprises to Hong Kong, driving sustained economic development.