The "2026 World Competitiveness Annual Report" recently released by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland shows that Hong Kong's global competitiveness ranks second in the world, rising for three consecutive years. Several Hong Kong economic figures told Xinhua News Agency reporters that this reflects the continuous improvement of Hong Kong's two-way value hub function, becoming an efficient empowerment platform for global investors and enterprises.
The continuous rise in Hong Kong's competitiveness ranking is essentially the result of its unique value being continuously realized in the eyes of global enterprises and investors, "Wang Shuguang, President of China International Capital Corporation, told reporters. Hong Kong's mature financial market can provide capital support for enterprises, and with the supply chain advantages of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, it has been upgraded into an acceleration channel for hard technology industrialization and an innovative experimental field for new application scenarios.
Hong Kong has surpassed Switzerland for the first time to become the world's largest cross-border wealth management center, firmly ranking in the top three of global financial center rankings. The International Monetary Fund has given Hong Kong a positive evaluation... Industry insiders believe that these achievements indicate that in the 29 years since its return to China, Hong Kong has gradually grown from a single transit channel for goods and funds to a two-way value hub that combines security and growth opportunities.
For international investors, the continuous deepening of connectivity mechanisms and the increasingly rich ecosystem of financial market products enable them to participate in the Chinese market more conveniently and seize opportunities in China.
In recent years, the Shanghai Shenzhen Hong Kong Stock Connect, Bond Connect and Swap Connect have been expanding, and the eligible stocks of the Shanghai Shenzhen Hong Kong Stock Connect have covered 90% of the total market value of the three markets. Cai Guanshen, President of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said that the five-year RMB treasury bond bond futures to be launched in Hong Kong in August will form a synergistic effect with Bond Connect and Swap Connect, and build a complete closed-loop from cash bond investment to risk hedging.
The development of the ETF market and the recovery of the Hong Kong IPO market have introduced richer and more liquid asset targets. According to statistics, the asset management scale of the Hong Kong ETF market has increased to approximately HKD 650 billion, with daily trading volume ranking among the top in the world. Its products cover multiple fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and digital assets.
Hong Kong provides international investors with high-quality assets covering the entire spectrum from traditional blue chips to the new economy, enabling them to systematically share the development dividends of China's industrial upgrading and technological innovation, "said Wang Shuguang.
For international enterprises, Hong Kong is upgrading from a "regional office location" to an "Asia Pacific Strategic Command and Innovation Center". Zhou Hao, Chief Economist of Guotai Junan International, believes that Hong Kong's intellectual property protection, dispute resolution, and arrangements for cross-border flow of data and funds have reduced the uncertainty of multinational corporations' long-term layout. The growth of the innovation and technology ecosystem has increased the attractiveness of Hong Kong's external enterprise research and development centers. Enterprises can have their "front stores" in Hong Kong and "back factories" in other cities in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, achieving synergy between research and development, transformation, and mass production.
Nina Barton, Director of Sustainable Development for Nordic International Logistics Asia Pacific, said that Hong Kong's status as a free trade port ensures convenient customs clearance, and it also has the busiest cargo airport in the world, Hong Kong International Airport. Coupled with a low tax environment and excellent business efficiency, the company's business scale in Hong Kong continues to expand.
She expects that the innovation and technology environment in the Greater Bay Area will bring long-term development opportunities for the company. The company has long-term cooperation with the Hong Kong Science Park, introducing the latest green technologies and prioritizing market testing in Hong Kong, and then promoting successful experiences to other markets in the Asia Pacific region.
Laura Cardina, Managing Director of Argentina's Cardina Winery, values the unique advantage of Hong Kong radiating to the Asian market. The professional level and business efficiency here are impressive, and we highly value the opportunity to have face-to-face exchanges with Asian partners through Hong Kong. She said that Hong Kong is an irreplaceable international trade hub, and the vibrant Asian market brings profound opportunities to the global wine industry.
The value enhancement of Hong Kong is also reflected in promoting the internationalization of mainland enterprises. Industry insiders point out that Hong Kong has upgraded from a "listed financing platform" for mainland enterprises to a comprehensive empowerment system covering capital operation, brand internationalization, and global layout.
Wang Shuguang believes that Hong Kong has continuously iterated its institutional design to open up efficient listing paths for new economic entities and meet diversified financing needs. On the other hand, the deep participation of international long-term capital in Hong Kong stock IPOs means that mainland enterprises can not only obtain global capital through Hong Kong, but also introduce long-term partners with strategic vision, providing solid financial and resource support for their production capacity, technology, and brand expansion overseas.
Data shows that since the beginning of this year, 84.7% of Hong Kong's IPO projects have introduced cornerstone investors, and the proportion of cornerstone subscription funds to the total fundraising scale has increased to 40.5%. The participating entities cover diversified long-term institutions such as foreign asset management, Chinese insurance, industry leaders, and sovereign funds.
Hong Kong has recently launched an action plan for the development of corporate treasury centers, which many industry insiders believe is of great significance for mainland enterprises that are "going global". Zhou Hao analyzed that after the globalization of enterprises, a central hub is needed to coordinate the collection of scattered funds, exchange rate and interest rate risk management, and cross-border investment and financing. Hong Kong, with its position as an offshore RMB business hub, free port system, and complete financial ecosystem, has become a natural choice for mainland enterprises to manage global funds. It is reported that China Mobile, China National Energy Corporation, and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group have successively established enterprise financial management platforms in Hong Kong.
Industry insiders have stated that under the guidance of the national "15th Five Year Plan" and Hong Kong's first five-year plan, Hong Kong will systematically promote various strategic deployments and continue to amplify the energy of the two-way value hub.
The future role of Hong Kong is to serve as a stress testing platform for the country in the process of aligning with high standard international economic and trade rules, and to transform the unique institutional advantages conferred by 'One Country, Two Systems' into the overall competitiveness of the country, "said Cai Guanshen.