Hacking Asia-style
The biggest ever promotion of Hong Kong to the UK opens on a very topical note...
Oh, the delicious irony. The "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" (TATHK) programme opens in the UK in September with the world premiere of "Overheard II", a film all about police surveillance of a public company. Presumably, it'll be some daft storyline about bent coppers taking bungs from dodgy PRs while eavesdropping on the phone calls of young princes.
Launched following the March announcement of China's 12th "Five-Year Plan", the TATHK week-long promotion is the largest ever initiative to promote Hong Kong (and, by proxy, China) to UK businesses, involving 23 UK partners, 50 speakers (including Jimmy Choo and Sir David Tang) and a reception at Kensington Palace.
"Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" aims to persuade UK businesses to use Hong Kong as the platform for their China growth strategies; the March five-year plan has put growth in Chinese domestic consumption at the heart of economic strategy, thus opening the door for international businesse to sell into the vast emerging marketplace.
Outlining the opportunities for UK companies to Real Business, Raymond Yip, assistant executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said that "the time is right for overseas companies to exploit the opportunities in China." The Chinese government aims to urbanise one per cent of the population (ie, 1.3 million people) per year over the next five years. This requires not only a huge infrastructure programme, but also investment in "soft infrastructure" such as entertainment, music and films.
"China is in dire need of upgrading its domestic infrastructure," said Yip. Currently, for example, 18 per cent of GDP goes towards logistics services; in developed economies, the rate would be approximately half that.
The week-long "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" promotion will focus on opportunities in five broad sectors: financial and professional services; technology; creative industries; logistics and maritime; and sourcing and marketing in Asia. UK businesses will be matched with partners in Hong Kong, as well as hearing from UK companies that have built successful Hong Kong operations. Events will be held in London, Leeds, Cambridge and Edinburgh.
To find out more about "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" businesses can register online at www.thinkasiathinkhk.com or follow on Twitter @TATHK