Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

China is knocking on Southeast Asia’s door, and Hong Kong wants to help

China is knocking on Southeast Asia’s door, and Hong Kong wants to help

Hong Kong’s role as a facilitator could in turn invigorate its professional services industry, which already makes up more than a 10th of the city’s gross domestic product, says trade council.

Positioning Hong Kong as a dealmaking hub and capitalising on a surge of interest from mainland Chinese investors and Southeast Asian companies could deliver a boost to the city’s professional services industry, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Since 2019, the HKTDC has accelerated its efforts to facilitate deals, organising about 3,000 “matchmaking” meetings in the past two years.

“In our trade events, we ask our overseas stakeholders to bring along their projects. And we match them with investors from Hong Kong or China,” said Patrick Lau, HKTDC’s deputy executive director. “At the minimum, the benefit to Hong Kong is that we can provide the professional services attached to the deals, [benefiting] lawyers, accountants and consultants.”


Stakeholders range from start-ups to established companies that are seeking partners or investors. At present, the council has 60 active discussions ongoing, with a total of 10 completed since 2019.

The biggest interest is coming from companies based in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines that are seeking investment.

“We see even more projects coming to us, especially those outside of China as they are not getting the attention that they would have got prior to the pandemic,” said Lau.

“Some good projects are being neglected because of the pandemic, because investors are more cautious. These are the projects we want to let the investment community know are available.”

Strong interest from mainland Chinese investors keeps the dealmaking momentum strong too.

“Mainland enterprises are actively seeking us out, including local commerce departments who [want to] find relevant enterprises interested in coming out to partner with us for appropriate targets abroad,” Lau said.

Hong Kong’s role as a facilitator could in turn invigorate its professional services industry, which already makes up more than a 10th of the city’s gross domestic product – HK$324.8 million in 2019.


Most projects belong to the technology and infrastructure space. For instance, the HKTDC matched Hong Kong-based service providers and Chinese investors with Indonesian partners for the country’s drive to relocate capital to the province of East Kalimantan.

In the pipeline is a similar project for Egypt’s new capital city, with further details expected to emerge at the upcoming Belt and Road Summit on September 1.

Hong Kong companies too have benefited from successful matchmaking. Data centre provider OneAsia Network’s expansion into Thailand has gained from the introduction of local partners. Its first data centre outside Hong Kong and China is scheduled to open by the end of 2022.

In 2016, Hong Kong start-up Insight Robotics was introduced to Thailand-listed conglomerate Loxley at one of HKTDC’s trade events. An agreement was eventually signed making Loxley the sole agent in Thailand, deploying the robotics firm’s wildfire detection system.

Founded in 1939, Loxley has business units in energy transmission, network solutions, trading, information technology and services.

Loxley CEO Suroj Lamsam said: “We play the part of a local partner, we have the connections and insight in terms of where these robots can be used, while Insight Robotics provides the technology.”

Both firms are in talks for another collaboration, where a Loxley subsidiary in the drone business could tap the Hong Kong firm’s building inspection technology to power its drones to detect cracks in a structure.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×