Policy Address by Hong Kong SAR’s Chief Executive John Lee: Building an international hub for business, investment and new industries

Written by Information Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire ^[1] - 18 September 2025 - Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, in his 2025 Policy Address announced yesterday (September 17) set out a range of measures to diversify Hong Kong's economy and reinforce the city's status as an international hub for business, investment and new industrialisation.

"Backed by strong national support and a high degree of global connectivity, Hong Kong is recognised worldwide as an international centre in finance, trade and shipping, as well as in aviation, legal services and dispute resolution," Mr Lee said. "The Government will fully leverage these institutional strengths to consolidate Hong Kong's status as a premier international hub."

Hong Kong SAR's Chief Executive John Lee attended the Legislative Council of Hong Kong SAR’s question and answer session on his 2025 Policy Address

To cement Hong Kong's position as a leading global financial centre, Mr Lee said the Government's strategy would include deepening the equity market, expanding a world-class bond market and a vibrant currency market, while advancing the insurance, asset and wealth management sectors. Key initiatives include:

Leveraging the Technology Enterprises Channel to assist Mainland technology enterprises in raising funds in Hong Kong, exploring shortening the stock settlement cycle to T+1, and encouraging more overseas enterprises to seek secondary listing in Hong Kong;
Further consolidating Hong Kong's position as a bond market hub with a view to fostering interplay between various mutual market access mechanisms, establishing connections with markets such as Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, and promoting the use of offshore Chinese Government Bonds as collateral in different clearing houses to further enrich the use cases of RMB assets; and
Enhancing the liquidity and global reach of the offshore RMB market in Hong Kong, including Government issuing more RMB bonds, and consider settling government expenditure in RMB under suitable circumstances.

"We will also expedite the development of new growth areas, building a premier international gold trading market, driving the development of fintech, as well as promoting green and sustainable finance," Mr Lee said.

Initiatives on building an international gold trading market include establishing gold storage facilities, encouraging gold traders to set up or expand their refineries in Hong Kong, establishing a central clearing system for gold and offering a greater variety of gold investment vehicles by assisting issuers in issuing gold funds, and support the development of new investment products such as tokenised gold.

To boost Hong Kong's status as an international trade centre, the Chief Executive said the Government would deepen international economic and trade networks by exploring the signing of new investment agreements with overseas economies, expanding the city's network of Economic and Trade Offices around the world with an office to be established in Kuala Lumpur this year, and promoting the digitalisation of trade.

"Under 'One Country, Two Systems', Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantages of attracting overseas enterprises and assisting Mainland enterprises to go global," Mr Lee said. "In the past, we focused primarily on bringing in enterprises, achieving remarkable growth and success. The new opportunities ahead for Hong Kong, however, will come from helping Mainland enterprises expand abroad."

The Chief Executive said he would establish a one‑stop platform by mobilising Hong Kong's overseas offices as well as Hong Kong offices in the Mainland, and set up the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force) to encourage Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong in expanding their businesses overseas.

"With the sustained growth in the output of new industries, the Government will step up its efforts to nurture emerging industries locally and attract those from outside Hong Kong, promoting the diversified development of our economy," Mr Lee said.

The Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, said in a press conference today (September 18) on the 2025 Policy Address, that attracting enterprises to set up and develop in Hong Kong is a crucial component of the city's industry development and reform, and Hong Kong needs to formulate preferential policy packages to achieve this.

To foster the life and health technology research sector, the Government will attract more pharmaceutical companies to set up operations in Hong Kong to conduct clinical trials and medical treatments for rare disease drugs, high‑end cancer drugs and advanced therapy products, and set up the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation.

To promote the development of the new energy industry, the Government will develop a sustainable aviation fuel industry chain, develop the GBA Hydrogen Corridor in collaboration with the Guangdong Province, and push forward the construction of Hong Kong's first large‑scale electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling facility at the EcoPark, which is expected to commence operation in the first half of 2026.

"Today, Hong Kong is at the critical juncture of advancing from stability to prosperity," Mr Lee said. "We are moving through an irreversible economic transition, but it is an essential process for a stronger and more robust economy in the future."

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