Hong Kong agencies boost Middle East activities

'We have an active office in Dubai and encourage people to visit us if they are interested in developing trade with China,' says Steve Alexander, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

'China is still a great untapped opportunity for many companies, and despite an average GDP growth of 7.6% over the past 10 years, it remains an underdeveloped country with a vast amount of potential.'

Mr. Alexander has hands-on experience of developing businesses for Nestle and Hershey Foods in China, including the creation of two factories from Greenfield sites.

'Our contention is that it is better for some Middle East companies to enter China through Hong Kong than go directly to the mainland,' he argues. 'Small and medium sized businesses in particular risk finding the operating environment in China quite tough.

'Finding a partner who has both China experience and international experience is often a good way to get ahead. And this is what Hong Kong companies offer.'

'On top of this, Hong Kong is a commercial hub with its own legal system to protect copyright and contracts, and it is much easier to manage sales and distribution from here. This is the freest economy in the world with the huge Chinese market on the doorstep and we provide help and advice to companies wanting to do business in this region.'

Meanwhile, InvestHK - which focuses exclusively on attracting investment into Hong Kong - is also ramping up its Middle East activities, and Director-General Mike Rowse will be visiting Abu Dhabi in April.

'We have a list of companies we want to attract,' explains Mr. Rowse who can't elaborate on names for reasons of commercial confidentiality. 'Most will be in trade related services.'

InvestHK has a strategy for each business sector, and proactively approaches the companies that it would like to see doing business in the territory. It can offer help in procuring visas for expatriate staff and schools for their children, as well as access to good lawyers, accountants and executive search firms. The agency is also very active in public relations for new arrivals in Hong Kong.

'We have seen some relocations from Singapore to Hong Kong in recent years and have just done our first joint promotion overseas with Shanghai selling Hong Kong as an entry point to the mainland,' adds the ebullient Mr. Rowse who spends a third of his year on the road promoting Hong Kong and is looking forward to visiting Abu Dhabi in April.