Temporary closure of Sham Shui Po Park Swimming Pool

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 9) that due to urgent maintenance works, the Sham Shui Po Park Swimming Pool in Sham Shui Po District has been temporarily closed until further notice.

230 buildings remove scaffold nets

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

In response to an order from the Buildings Department, as of today, scaffold nets had been removed from the external walls of all 230 private buildings.

Meanwhile, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) continued to extract concrete core samples from affected buildings. So far, the exercise has covered all seven buildings.

Under the ICU’s supervision, miscellaneous items earlier found on some scaffoldings at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po and Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan, have essentially been removed by the contractor. The ICU will continue to inspect regularly and monitor the situation.

Financial support

As of noon today, donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had reached about $3 billion. Combined with $300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around $3.3 billion.

The fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,617 cases had been processed.

The fund will also provide the families of each deceased victim with a $200,000 token of solidarity, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 106 cases had been processed.

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1,970 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the “one social worker per household” follow-up service.

SWD staff also visited affected residents staying in transitional housing units in Kai Tak today and gave them Octopus cards with a value of $2,000 to facilitate their daily travel.

Accommodation arrangements

As of this morning, a total of 1,431 residents had been accommodated under the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,530 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Relief supplies

On the Government’s online platform for donated supplies, about 1,700 registrations have been received, with approximately 30% submitted by organisations. Over 16,000 donated items, covering various categories, have been distributed.

Missing persons

Officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) completed searching the area around the buildings and near the collapsed scaffolding, which had been confirmed as safe. Suspected bones were discovered and collected for further testing.

In the next phase, the DVIU will conduct a search after the scaffold nets and scaffolding are removed.

In addition, further testing has confirmed that a set of human remains found earlier belongs to two deceased individuals. This took the number of deceased in the fire to 160, with 120 human remains identified.

Police have contacted the families of the missing persons and those who have preliminarily identified the deceased through photographs, and continued to arrange DNA oral swab sampling for them in batches today for scientific identification of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority said all 24 patients hospitalised from the Tai Po fire are in stable condition.

The Fire Services Department has set up a rope system on the podium at Wang Tai House to access the underground pump room, allowing the DVIU to conduct searches in hard-to-access areas at the fire scene. Additionally, the Inter-departmental Fire Investigation Task Force held another meeting today.

As of 4pm today, the Labour Department had inspected 371 construction sites, issued a total of 189 written warnings and 101 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.

Tsing Yi Nature Trails closed

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said the Tsing Yi Nature Trails will be closed to the public from tonight until further notice, as various departments will be stepping up mosquito control and prevention work along the trails in the near future.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department, together with other departments, will further strengthen the intensity and frequency of anti-mosquito measures along the trails, including carrying out fogging operations continuously to eliminate adult mosquitoes.

The CHP advises members of the public not to visit the trails for the time being in order to reduce the risk of contracting chikungunya fever (CF).

Hong Kong has recorded a total of 78 confirmed CF cases so far this year, 10 of which were local cases.

Five patients in the recently reported local cases, aged between 49 and 67, had visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area.

The onset dates of their symptoms were between mid-November and December 2, and the latest case among them visited the trails on November 29.

Seventh Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Departments Joint Conference advances co-operation in rule of law construction to new levels

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Seventh Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Departments Joint Conference advances co-operation in rule of law construction to new levels       
     In the conference, the Department of Justice (DoJ) and representatives of the legal departments of Guangdong and Macao engaged in comprehensive discussions on several major areas, such as the interfaces of legal talent and regulatory frameworks of mediation and arbitration. Substantial results were achieved by the meeting, fully demonstrating the positive role of the joint conference mechanism of the legal departments of the three places.
      
     The meeting reached a consensus on the proposal by the DoJ to establish a GBA commercial mediation and arbitration platform. The platform will bring together mediation and arbitration institutions in the GBA to jointly promote the establishment and adoption of relevant GBA standards, and collectively enhance the efficiency of dispute resolution in the region.
      
     The three places reviewed the GBA Mediator Panel 2025 and the Panel of GBA Arbitrators, and agreed to work towards the common goal of updating the GBA Mediator Panel and introducing the Panel of GBA Arbitrators by the end of this year, marking a new phase in the building of a talent pool for dispute resolution in the GBA.
      
     The three places also discussed the latest developments in nurturing foreign-related legal talent, including the work of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy.
      
     On the interface of regulatory frameworks, the three places agreed to jointly explore pathways to promote the establishment of the GBA arbitration model rules.
      
     In addition, the conference for the first time discussed policy measures related to promoting high-quality development in the GBA, enhancing mutual understanding and collaboration. The three places introduced the latest developments of their respective policy measures, including the DoJ’s intensified efforts to be taken, under the leadership of the Deputy Secretary for Justice, to promote Hong Kong’s legal services and collaborate with other professional service sectors to support Mainland enterprises expanding overseas.

     Concluding the conference, Dr Cheung said that the meeting yielded fruitful results, demonstrating the three places’ determination to jointly enhance the rule of law business environment in the GBA and leverage the unique advantages of “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions”. He expressed his gratitude for the efforts made by the legal departments of the three places and looked forward to the continual deepening of co-operation in the construction of the rule of law in the GBA, providing a solid legal foundation for building a world-class bay area.
Issued at HKT 19:25

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DH announces latest situation on chikungunya fever and advises public not to visit Tsing Yi Nature Trails

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced that, as of 5pm today (December 9), no new cases of chikungunya fever (CF) had been recorded. Hong Kong has recorded a total of 78 confirmed CF cases this year. Among them, 10 were local cases, and the rest were imported cases. Additionally, as the relevant departments will be conducting more intensive mosquito control and prevention work along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails in the near future, the trails will be closed from tonight to the public until further notice. The CHP advises members of the public not to visit the trails for the time being in order to reduce the risk of contracting CF.
 
     Regarding five local cases of CF who visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area, the CHP yesterday (December 8) held an interdepartmental meeting with representatives from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Home Affairs Department, the Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Lands Department, and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) to discuss ways to enhance anti-mosquito efforts in the area and safeguard public health.

     The five local cases involve two males and three females aged between 49 and 67. The onset dates of their symptoms were between mid-November and December 2. Epidemiological investigations revealed that the activities of the five patients overlapped at the Tsing Yi Nature Trails and that some of them had reportedly been bitten by mosquitoes there. Among them, the latest case visited the trails on November 29.
 
     Upon receiving notifications of the first case on November 20, the CHP immediately contacted the relevant departments to commence large-scale mosquito prevention and control operations in the vicinity of Tsing Yi. Subsequently, as the sample analysis of some cases have identical genetic sequences, the CHP considered the trails to be a higher-risk area. As early as November 23, the CHP appealed daily through various channels to individuals who had hiked along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails to seek medical attention as soon as possible if they developed relevant symptoms and to call the enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373). In late November, the CHP also informed approximately 130 primary care doctors in Kwai Tsing District through the Primary Healthcare Commission. They were urged to closely monitor whether their patients had compatible symptoms and arrange blood tests for those concerned. The CHP’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch provides free testing services.
 
     Specifically targeting the vicinity of Tsing Yi Nature Trails, various departments have adopted a series of measures:
 

  • The FEHD has co-ordinated mosquito prevention and control efforts among relevant departments and stakeholders in their respective purviews through the interdepartmental task forces on anti-mosquito work across districts. Tools such as large ultra-low volume foggers and robot dogs have been deployed to conduct more than 40 fogging operations to kill adult mosquitoes along the hiking trails, covering the entire trails and the perimeter. The FEHD has also eliminated about 600 potential mosquito breeding sites and applied larvicide oil or larvicides in 80 areas with stagnant water that cannot be removed immediately and installed new mosquito traps. In addition, pamphlets have been distributed to hikers in the area, urging the public to be vigilant against mosquito infestations and take personal protective measures. The FEHD also visited nearby schools and childcare facilities to provide information and assistance on mosquito prevention and control. Furthermore, the FEHD has stepped up inspections of construction sites and residential premises near the trails, instituted two prosecutions against those responsible for violations related to mosquito breeding, and issued eight statutory notices for the elimination of stagnant water.

 

  • The Kwai Tsing District Office (K&TDO), which is responsible for the maintenance of the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, has instructed its contractor to enhance mosquito prevention and control measures, including grass cutting, clearing blockages in drainage, conducting fogging operations, and application of larvicide oil or larvicides. In addition, K&TDO has displayed posters at the entrances, pavilions and sitting-out areas along the trails to remind visitors and hikers to use insect repellents and take protective measures. K&TDO also continuously disseminates information on mosquito prevention to residents in the district through the local networks of the District Council Members, Area Committees, and Care Teams.

 

  • Since the end of November, the DSD has carried out a number of drainage cleaning operations in the vicinity of the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, removing silt and debris from drainage facilities to ensure the system is functioning and prevent stagnant water and mosquito breeding.

 

  • The District Lands Office of Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing has removed illegal cultivations, metal canopies, and bamboo sticks on relevant government land. The CEDD has requested contractors and site supervisory staff to arrange site inspections, including its surrounding areas, to ensure that the mosquito prevention measures taken are as effective as possible. Regarding mosquito prevention and control measures, these include conducting regular inspections, removing stagnant water, applying larvicidal oil, and setting up mosquito traps on-site with regular checks and replacement of baits.

     Although relevant departments have conducted a series of mosquito prevention and control operations in the past two to three weeks, there are still members of the public who have been infected after visiting the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, indicating that the risk of infection in the relevant area remains. The Tsing Yi Nature Trails are situated in a countryside environment and cover a vast area, with the hiking trails stretching approximately 7 000 metres. Compared with urban settings, mosquito control work there faces greater challenges. Along both sides of the trails, there are various natural breeding grounds for vectors, including puddles on soil surfaces and fallen leaves, which increase the risk of mosquito breeding.
 
     After discussion yesterday, various departments have further confirmed measures to strengthen mosquito prevention and control in the vicinity of the Tsing Yi Nature Trails. Considering that more intensive anti-mosquito operations will be conducted there, the Tsing Yi Nature Trails will be temporarily closed to the public until further notice. During the period, the FEHD, together with other departments, will further strengthen the intensity and frequency of mosquito prevention and control measures along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, including continued fogging operations to eliminate adult mosquitoes.

     The CHP will send letters to doctors again and urge them to pay attention to patients’ conditions. In case patients present with relevant symptoms such as fever, joint pain and rash, doctors shall arrange relevant testing as soon as possible.

     Meanwhile, regarding the recently announced local case involving a 23-year-old female living in Sheung Wan, the epidemiological investigation is ongoing. The CHP continues to urge members of the public residing and working at Queen’s Road West (near Morrison Street and Hollywood Road) who experienced a fever, rash or joint pain on or after November 15 to seek medical advice or contact the CHP immediately. CHP officers continue to reach out to individuals in the aforementioned locations to remind individuals to be aware of relevant symptoms and to maintain good environmental hygiene in their households.

     As of 5pm today, the CHP has conducted assessments for over 2 700 individuals residing or working in the district through the health consultation booth at the main entrance of the Sheung Wan Civic Centre, its enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373), questionnaire surveys and door-to-door visits. No new symptomatic persons have been identified in the past four days. Two individuals with mild symptoms previously have been arranged to undergo blood tests. All tested negative for the chikungunya virus.

     The public should call 1823 in case of mosquito problems and may visit the following pages for more information: the CF page of the CHP and the Travel Health Service, the latest Travel Health Newstips for using insect repellents, and the CHP Facebook PageInstagram Account and YouTube Channel, and also the Mosquito Prevention and Control dedicated page of the FEHD.

Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Germany, Canada and UK suspended

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the District of Viersen of the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District of the Province of British Columbia in Canada, and the East Cambridgeshire District of Cambridgeshire County and the Swale District of Kent County in the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, in the first nine months of this year, while no poultry meat or eggs were imported into Hong Kong from Canada, Hong Kong imported about 60 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Germany, and about 770 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 1.17 million poultry eggs from the UK.

“The CFS has contacted the German, Canadian and British authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

Home and Youth Affairs Bureau launches new round of HYAB Funding Scheme for International Youth Exchange

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Youth Development Commission (YDC) jointly launched the HYAB Funding Scheme for International Youth Exchange 2026-27 today (December 9). Eligible non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are invited to submit applications.
 
The Government attaches great importance to youth development. The HYAB promulgated the Youth Development Blueprint at the end of 2022, which states that the Government will further strengthen the breadth and depth of the Mainland and international internship and exchange programmes with a view to enhancing young people’s understanding of the development of the country and the world. Through the HYAB Funding Scheme for International Youth Exchange, the HYAB and the YDC provide funding for NGOs to organise international exchange projects for Hong Kong young people to broaden their global exposure and their understanding of the history, culture and the latest developments of different places. The funding scheme also covers exchange projects to regions along the Belt and Road to promote cultural exchanges and foster people-to-people bonds. The Pilot Scheme on Subsidy to Grassroots Youth for Participating in Exchange Activities Outside Hong Kong that launched earlier will also continue to provide additional subsidies to grassroots youth with financial needs to participate in exchange projects under the 2026-27 funding scheme.
 
Details of the new round of the funding scheme are available on the YDC website www.ydc.gov.hk/en/programmes/ep/ep_fundingschemeinternational.html). Interested NGOs should submit their applications via the e-application system on or before January 6, 2026.

Quarterly business receipts indices for service industries for third quarter of 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Quarterly business receipts indices for service industries for third quarter of 2025 
     Comparing the third quarter of 2025 with the third quarter of 2024, double-digit increases were recorded in business receipts indices of the insurance (+40.7%), financing (except banking) (+31.4%), import/export trade (+24.5%) and banking (+12.9%) industries. On the other hand, the transportation industry recorded a decrease of 5.8% in business receipts index during the same period.
 
     Analysed by service domain, business receipts index of the computer and information technology services domain increased by 99.1% year-on-year during the same period, while that of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain also increased by 4.6% year-on-year.
 
     On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, business receipts in value terms of many major service industries recorded increases of varying magnitudes in the third quarter of 2025 when compared with the second quarter of 2025. In particular, a double-digit increase was recorded in business receipts index of the insurance (+23.9%) industry. On the other hand, business receipts index of the warehousing and storage industry decreased by 5.6% during the same period.
 
     Analysed by service domain, comparing the third quarter of 2025 with the second quarter of 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis, business receipts index of the computer and information technology services domain increased by 20.0%, while that of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain also increased by 6.8%.
 
Commentary
 
     A Government spokesman said that business receipts of many service industries increased in the third quarter of 2025 over a year earlier, with more notable increases seen for the insurance, financing (except banking), import/export trade and banking industries.
 
     Looking ahead, business of the service industries as a whole should continue to expand. Sustained moderate growth of the global economy, coupled with easing China-US trade tensions, should provide support to trade-related sectors. Continued improvement in local consumer sentiment, sustained growth in visitor arrivals, vibrant financial market activities, and the Government’s various measures to develop the economy and diversify markets will continue to bode well for various service industries. Notwithstanding, the impact of external uncertainties on certain industries still warrants close attention.
 
Further information
 
     Table 1 presents the business receipts indices and their corresponding year-on-year rates of change in respect of selected service industries and service domains for the recent five quarters, while Table 2 shows the corresponding quarter-to-quarter rates of change in the business receipts indices for the recent five quarters based on the seasonally adjusted series.
 
     The revised figures of business receipts indices for the third quarter of 2025 will be released at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/web_table.html?id=660-69001 
     Data for compiling the business receipts indices are mainly based on the Quarterly Survey of Service Industries conducted by the C&SD, supplemented by relevant data provided by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
 
     A service domain differs from a service industry in that it comprises those economic activities which straddle different industries but are somehow related to a common theme. It may include all activities carried out by all companies in a service industry that is closely related to the domain. For a service industry that is less closely related, however, only a portion of the companies in the industry or even only part of the economic activities of the companies is related to the domain. Taking the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain as an example, it includes all services of convention and exhibition organisers, short-term accommodation services and services of travel agents, and some of the services (only those involving visitors as customers) of restaurants, retailers and transport operators.
 
     The classification of service industries follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into relevant industry classes.
 
     More detailed statistics are given in the report “Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, Third Quarter 2025”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (
www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080006&scode=520 
     For enquiries about the business receipts indices, please contact the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7274 or e-mail:
business-receipts@censtatd.gov.hkIssued at HKT 16:30

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Results of monthly survey on business situation of small and medium-sized enterprises for November 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Results of monthly survey on business situation of small and medium-sized enterprises for November 2025 
     The current diffusion index (DI) on business receipts amongst SMEs decreased from 44.8 in October 2025 in the contractionary zone to 44.5 in November 2025, whereas the one-month’s ahead (i.e. December 2025) outlook DI on business receipts was 47.5. Analysed by sector, the current DIs on business receipts for some surveyed sectors dropped in November 2025 as compared with previous month, particularly for the logistics (from 43.3 to 42.2) and import and export trades (from 45.7 to 44.7).
          
     The current DI on new orders for the import and export trades decreased from 47.1 in October 2025 to 46.0 in November 2025, whereas the outlook DI on new orders in one month’s time (i.e. December 2025) was 47.4.
 
Commentary
 
     A Government spokesman said that business sentiment among SMEs was broadly stable in November after having shown some visible improvement over the past several months. While the current diffusion index on business receipts eased slightly from the high in the preceding month, the index on outlook in one month’s time stayed at an elevated level. Meanwhile, the overall employment situation improved slightly from the preceding month.
 
     Looking ahead, further solid growth of the Hong Kong economy will support local business sentiment. Nevertheless, as the uncertainties in the external environment persist, the Government will monitor the situation closely.
 
Further information
 
     The Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises aims to provide a quick reference, with minimum time lag, for assessing the short-term business situation faced by SMEs. SMEs covered in this survey refer to companies with fewer than 50 persons engaged. Respondents were asked to exclude seasonal fluctuations in reporting their views. Based on the views collected from the survey, a set of diffusion indices (including current and outlook diffusion indices) is compiled. A reading above 50 indicates that the business condition is generally favourable, whereas that below 50 indicates otherwise. As for statistics on the business prospects of prominent companies in Hong Kong, users may refer to the publication entitled “Report on Quarterly Business Tendency Survey” released by the C&SD.
 
     The results of the survey should be interpreted with care. The survey solicits feedback from a panel sample of about 600 SMEs each month and the survey findings are thus subject to sample size constraint. Views collected from the survey refer only to those of respondents on their own companies rather than those on the respective sectors they are engaged in. Besides, in this type of opinion survey on expected business situation, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents’ perception of the business situation accords with the underlying trends. For this survey, main bulk of the data were collected around the last week of the reference month.
 
     More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Monthly Survey on the Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080015&scode=300 
     Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact Industrial Production Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7246; email:
sme-survey@censtatd.gov.hkIssued at HKT 16:30

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External Direct Investment of Hong Kong in 2024

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

External Direct Investment of Hong Kong in 2024 
Stocks of DI
 
     At the end of 2024, the total stock of Hong Kong’s inward DI (i.e. the position of Hong Kong’s DI liabilities) increased by 9.1% over a year earlier to $20,049.6 billion. Its ratio to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at 631% in 2024. The increase in 2024 was mainly attributable to the positive DI inflow to Hong Kong.
 
     As for the total stock of Hong Kong’s outward DI (i.e. the position of Hong Kong’s DI assets), it increased by 6.7% over 2023 to $18,890.0 billion. Its ratio to GDP was 595% in 2024. The increase in 2024 was mainly attributable to the positive DI outflow to enterprises outside Hong Kong, partly offset by the decrease resulting from exchange rate variations, as some DI assets are denominated in other currencies.
 
     Analysed by immediate source of investment, Chinese Mainland (the Mainland) and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) were the two largest sources for Hong Kong’s inward DI, with a share of 32.7% and 30.4% respectively at end-2024. Analysed by major economic activity of Hong Kong enterprise groups (HKEGs) which had received inward DI, those engaged in investment and holding, real estate, professional and business services took up the largest share, at 68.2% at end-2024. This was followed by banking, at 11.0%; and import/export, wholesale and retail trades, at 10.5%.
          
     Analysed by immediate destination of investment, the Mainland and the BVI were also the two largest destinations for Hong Kong’s outward DI, with a share of 52.1% and 27.6% respectively at end-2024. Analysed by major economic activity of HKEGs which had made outward DI, those engaged in investment and holding, real estate, professional and business services took up the largest share, at 78.8% at end 2024. This was followed by import/export, wholesale and retail trades, at 8.6%.
 
Flows of DI
 
     In 2024, total DI inflow amounted to $982.4 billion, larger than that of $954.9 billion in 2023. On the other hand, total DI outflow in 2024 amounted to $629.2 billion, smaller than that of $752.9 billion in 2023. Taking the inflow and outflow together, a net DI inflow of $353.2 billion was recorded in 2024.
 
     Analysed by immediate source of investment, the Mainland was the major source of Hong Kong’s DI inflow in 2024, amounting to $466.0 billion. The BVI came next, at $237.0 billion. Analysed by major economic activity of HKEGs which had received DI inflow, those engaged in investment and holding, real estate, professional and business services attracted the largest amount in 2024, at $588.0 billion.
 
     Analysed by immediate destination of investment, the Mainland accounted for a predominant share of Hong Kong’s DI outflow in 2024, at $372.9 billion. The BVI came next, at $198.9 billion. Analysed by major economic activity of HKEGs which had made DI outflow, those engaged in investment and holding, real estate, professional and business services took up the largest amount, at $452.9 billion.
 
Commentary
 
     A Government spokesman said that Hong Kong remains one of the world’s major destinations for and sources of external DI. Total DI inflow and outflow continued to be significant in 2024, at $982.4 billion and $629.2 billion respectively. The stocks of overall inward and outward DI also increased further to $20,049.6 billion and $18,890.0 billion (631% and 595% of GDP) respectively at end-2024. These testify Hong Kong’s status as a prominent international centre for finance and commerce and a preferred base for multinational corporations, while also reflect strong global investor confidence in Hong Kong’s economic prospects.
 
     Hong Kong’s DI covers a large geographical spread and a wide range of economic activities, with the Mainland featuring prominently both as a source and as a destination. This underscores Hong Kong’s pivotal roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.
 
     The Government will continue to leverage on Hong Kong’s unique advantages in fulfilling its role in connecting the Mainland with the world. Persistent efforts have been made in deepening Hong Kong’s international connectivity on all fronts, and proactive measures have been taken in attracting more Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong as a platform to go global. The Government will also strengthen its policies for bringing in more strategic enterprises to set up in Hong Kong, thereby promoting high-quality development.
 
Further Information
 
     DI represents external investment in which an investor of an economy acquires a lasting interest and a significant degree of influence or an effective voice in the management of an enterprise located in another economy. For statistical purpose, an effective voice is taken as being equivalent to a holding of 10% or more of the voting power in an enterprise.
 
     According to the international statistical standards, the total stocks and flows of DI presented above are compiled based on the “asset/liability principle”, while detailed DI figures analysed by country/territory and by major economic activity of HKEGs are based on the “directional principle”. Owing to the adoption of different presentation principles, the total stocks and flows of DI are different from the sums of the detailed DI figures by country/territory or by major economic activity of HKEGs. However, the overall direct investment balance compiled from figures based on these two presentation principles respectively is the same.
 
     Tables 1 and 2 show the positions (i.e. stocks) and flows of inward DI in Hong Kong by selected major investor country/territory and by major economic activity of HKEGs respectively for 2023 and 2024. Similar statistics on outward DI from Hong Kong are presented in Tables 3 and 4.
          
     More detailed statistics are given in the report “External Direct Investment Statistics of Hong Kong 2024”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1040003&scode=260 
     Enquiries about the DI statistics may be directed to the Balance of Payments Branch (2) of the C&SD at 3903 7024.
Issued at HKT 16:30

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