African business entities assemble in Hong Kong on May 26, to explore new avenues for Global South collaboration

There will be a special ‘Africa Day ‘Reception in Hong Kong on May 26, assembling local business communities from the continent to explore new avenues for cross-border collaboration.

This follows the recent successful by Invest Hong Kong’s delegation to Rwanda and South Africa.

Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion of Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) Ms Loretta Lee has concluded a successful mission to South Africa and Rwanda, reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as the strategic launchpad for African and Global South enterprises seeking offshore business growth into the Chinese Mainland and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

During her visit to Johannesburg, Ms Lee engaged with a diverse range of leading enterprises and industry bodies.

From Africa to Asia

Discussions focused on how Hong Kong’s robust business environment can empower African enterprises to effectively manage and scale their expanding Asian operations.

Ms Lee also met with local chambers of commerce and government investment agencies to explore new avenues for collaboration.

She highlighted that Africa is one of the Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK)’s key markets, as many African enterprises are now looking to diversify their funding sources and simplify cross-border transactions through Hong Kong’s deep capital markets and unique connectivity with Chinese Mainland.

“Africa has emerged as a vital engine of growth within the Global South,” said Ms Lee.

“Our journey of thousands of miles to Africa begins with a meaningful step. For African corporates looking for a trusted and strategic partner to expand into the Chinese Mainland and the Asia-Pacific region, the interest, relationships, and momentum are building up,” she added.

“Hong Kong has vast potential to play a unique role linking capital, talent, and innovation between Africa and our part of the world, while InvestHK will continue to be a driver of this interconnectivity, facilitating two-way investment through strategic market insights, extensive global access, targeted promotion, and policy facilitation,” Lee maintained.

Reinforcing Global South Cooperation

The Minister Counsellor in charge of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, Ms Liu Yu, pointed out that the synergy between South Africa and Hong Kong in the economic and trade fields is both complementary and strategically significant.

“Under the framework of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong’s status as a global offshore Renminbi hub and an international asset management centre provides a professional one-stop platform for enterprises to go global,” added Liu Yu.

“We encourage South African and Chinese Mainland enterprises in South Africa to leverage Hong Kong’s unique professional advantages to optimize their supply chain layouts and achieve high-quality, mutually beneficial development,” she stated.

On his part, the President of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), Mr Mtho Xulu, said, they want to see the relationship expand beyond their borders, where they can take companies from South Africa into Hong Kong, using the city as a platform to scale into the bigger markets.

“Whether it’s for innovation, manufacturing, or industrialization, we want to look at how we can collaborate further and bring the two places closer together. This ecosystem is exactly what our members need to unlock high-value opportunities on the Chinese Mainland and across Asia,” added Xulu.

The visit culminated in Kigali, Rwanda, where Ms Lee represented Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) at the Africa CEO Forum, engaging in high-level discussions with C-suite executives from the continent’s leading multinationals.

Continuing the momentum of two-way economic ties, InvestHK will host an Africa Day Reception in Hong Kong on May 26, assembling local African business communities to explore new avenues for cross-border collaboration.