Tianjin hosts an investment promotion conference in Hong Kong on Feb 20, 2023. A total of 19 agreements were signed at the ceremony, valued at 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) on investment, trade and industry development. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – China's Hong Kong and the port city of Tianjin in northern China signed 19 cooperation projects with a value of more than 15 billion yuan (about $2.2 billion) at the Tianjin (Hong Kong) Investment Environment Conference held in Hong Kong on Monday.
The conference, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center with 300 people attending, aims to promote trade and investment cooperation between Tianjin and Hong Kong to a new level. The inked projects covered smart manufacturing, biomedicine and infrastructure.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a video address that there are many common development opportunities between Hong Kong and Tianjin, especially in financial innovation, professional services and innovative technology
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a video address that there are many common development opportunities between Hong Kong and Tianjin, especially in financial innovation, professional services and innovative technology.
He said Tianjin and Hong Kong could draw on each other's strengths and develop more solid and broader cooperation.
Zhu Peng, vice-mayor of Tianjin, said as international port cities and important transport nodes on the Belt and Road, Tianjin and Hong Kong have a long history of cooperation and exchanges.
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Tianjin attaches great importance to Hong Kong and hopes to further deepen practical cooperation in various fields with Hong Kong to jointly integrate into the national development, Zhu added.
Up to now, about 12,000 enterprises from Hong Kong have been set up in Tianjin, with actual funds of more than $99 billion, accounting for about half of the foreign investment in Tianjin, according to a statement released by the Tianjian Municipal People's Government.
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In 2022, 235 Hong Kong enterprises were set up in Tianjin, with an investment of $4.2 billion, hitting a record high in recent years, said the statement.
Meanwhile, Tianjin opened 28 institutions in Hong Kong in 2022, up by 21 percent year-on-year, with an investment of about $220 million in place, up by 40 percent year-on-year.