Citizens interact with cruising fishing vessels on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

The total number of registered local companies in Hong Kong surpassed 1.5 million by the end of July, while over 15,000 non-Hong Kong companies were also registered, both figures marking historical highs, said John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), on Sunday.

From January 2023 to July 2025, Invest Hong Kong assisted 1,333 enterprises in establishing or expanding their operations in Hong Kong, attracting 174 billion Hong Kong dollars (22.17 billion U.S. dollars) in first-year direct investment and creating over 19,000 new jobs, Lee said in a video posted on social media on Sunday.

Lee also highlighted Hong Kong's unique dual-platform function and advantages, which enable the city to attract foreign investment to explore business opportunities and the Chinese mainland market while also assisting Chinese mainland enterprises in entering overseas markets.

Many foreign enterprises have found business opportunities in Hong Kong and are continuously expanding; numerous mainland companies also trust Hong Kong's capabilities and are collaborating with the "Hong Kong team" to explore emerging markets abroad, he added.

Hong Kong continues to attract high-quality enterprises from both domestic and international markets to establish or expand their operations, boosting the local economy and increasing employment opportunities, he noted.

During this period of economic transformation, it is essential to innovate with new and creative services and products, potentially integrating online and offline marketing strategies to meet market preferences, he said, adding that Hong Kong boasts a stable and limitless potential consumer market and can serve as a testing ground to help overseas companies expand into the Chinese mainland market.

He also mentioned that in recent years, the HKSAR government has actively collaborated with the business sectors in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland to understand different markets, including those in the Middle East and ASEAN countries.

Moving forward, the HKSAR government will continue to work together to develop more promising emerging markets, creating business opportunities for both Hong Kong and mainland enterprises, balancing investment portfolios, and countering geopolitical challenges, Lee said.