**: People's **Overseas Edition.
The picture shows the cityscape of Hong Kong. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Zhihua.
We will roll out a series of measures this year, including organising the 'Hong Kong Shopping Festival' on e-commerce platforms and launching 'e-commerce', to strengthen the provision of information on the development of e-commerce in the Mainland, so as to help Hong Kong SMEs seize the huge opportunities in the Mainland's domestic and e-commerce markets. In order to promote the steady progress of Hong Kong's economy, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will introduce a series of measures to support the development of local enterprises in Hong Kong, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to help them cope with the complex and changeable global economic situation, expand business and enhance competitiveness.
Set up a special group for e-commerce development.
To help Hong Kong's SMEs seize the opportunities of e-commerce, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR**) has recently set up an inter-departmental "E-commerce Development Task Force", chaired by Yau Ying-wah, comprising members from the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Industry Department, the Customs and Excise Department, the Hongkong Post, the Development Council of Hong Kong**, the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation and the Hong Kong Productivity Council.
At the first meeting of the Task Force on E-commerce Development, Mr Yau said that the global e-commerce business is developing rapidly, involving a wide range of policy areas and objectives. The bureaux and departments of the HKSAR** will work together to formulate policies and measures to assist Hong Kong SMEs to expand their business through the development of e-commerce and enhance the awareness of Hong Kong brands.
Yau Yinghua introduced that the Special Administrative Region will launch a series of measures this year, including holding a "Hong Kong Shopping Festival" on e-commerce platforms to enhance Hong Kong's brand awareness and expand the domestic market; Launched "e-commerce" under the "Dedicated Project on Brand Development, Upgrading and Transformation and Domestic Market Expansion**", which allows enterprises to use HK$1 million out of the cumulative funding cap of HK$7 million to implement e-commerce projects; The SME Support and Consultation Centre of the Hong Kong Industrial Department** will join hands with the Hong Kong Productivity Council's SME One-stop Service, the Hong Kong** Development Council's SME Centre and the SME Reachout Unit of the Hong Kong Science Park to strengthen the provision of information on e-commerce in the Mainland to SMEs.
The Hong Kong industry believes that it is not easy for small and medium-sized enterprises to open up the vast market of the mainland on their own, and the special administrative region has set up a task force to help small and medium-sized enterprises form groups to "break in", so as to give full play to the advantages of relying on the motherland and polish the signboard of Hong Kong brands.
Actively explore the mainland market.
The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong)** recently released a survey report on the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs in Hong Kong) in e-commerce. According to the report, 91% of Hong Kong SMEs surveyed said they would maintain or increase their investment in the first quarter of this year, with the most popular investment projects including "e-commerce or digital technology-related training", "online and offline marketing", "information technology systems", etc. Thirty-five per cent of Hong Kong's SMEs that are engaged in e-commerce have expanded into the mainland market. Among Hong Kong SMEs that are planning to expand their e-commerce business, 62% of them said they are considering investing more in the mainland market.
Cheung Tsz-cheong, Chief Innovation Officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, believes that these figures reflect the positive attitude of Hong Kong SMEs towards exploring the mainland e-commerce market. "In recent years, the booming e-commerce in the mainland has shown great business opportunities for Hong Kong SMEs to expand their sales market. Zhang Zichang said.
The survey report also shows that Hong Kong SMEs may face challenges such as "lack of understanding of consumer needs and preferences" and "lack of relevant manpower or expertise" when expanding into the mainland e-commerce market, and they want help from funding, training, industry cooperation and market analysis. "The SME ReachOut Unit under HKPC has been upgraded to 20 version, and launched the 'SME Upgrading Practice Classroom' to provide SMEs with e-commerce related strategies and marketing consulting services, actively support the development of e-commerce in Hong Kong, and help SMEs develop, upgrade and transform. Zhang Zichang said.
As for how to make good use of the "Hong Kong Shopping Festival" to open up the mainland market, Shi Lide, former president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, believes that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region should select mainland e-commerce platforms with high traffic and large customer sources, and take into account the preferences of mainland consumers, highlighting the special elements of fragrance, such as using Hong Kong-style flavors as signboards for brand promotion and publicity.
Respond to challenges and create value-added.
Mr Yau believes that Hong Kong is a resilient and resilient economy, and despite the difficulties facing the global economy, he believes that Hong Kong can make good use of its own advantages, integrate into the overall development of the country, and continue to prosper through the joint efforts of all sectors of society, exert innovative thinking, overcome various challenges, and continue to maintain prosperity and development.
In addition to seizing the opportunities of e-commerce, various sectors in Hong Kong have also actively launched a number of development platforms to help SMEs seize new opportunities such as digital transformation and green and sustainable development. Led by the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the "ESG One-stop" platform has been launched, aiming to align with the "dual carbon" goals of the country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region**, and comprehensively support the digital transformation and ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategies of Hong Kong SMEs. At present, more than 150 supporting organizations (including chambers of commerce and organizations) and nearly 200 enterprises have joined the platform as green members.
Mr Mohamed Butt, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, said that ESG has become an important indicator to measure the development prospects and value of enterprises, and SMEs often encounter challenges such as insufficient resources in the implementation of ESG.
Hong Kong Cyberport has recently launched the "Digital Transformation Support Pilot Scheme" to help Hong Kong SMEs in the catering, retail and other industries to help them digitally transform, such as electronic payment systems. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)**, said that many small and medium-sized enterprises in Hong Kong are already actively seeking digital transformation, which is both a challenge and a rare opportunity, "We will also vigorously nurture talents, from education and training to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, promote the development of related industries, and form a thriving ecosystem." (Reporter Wang Lingxi).
People** Overseas Edition (2024-02-07 Edition 04).