Time to bond: Director-General of Investment Promotion Mike Rowse and Wang Ji-guang, Deputy Director-General, Foreign Economic Co-operation Department of the Ministry of Commerce attend the Seminar on Information Technology & Technology Industries in Hong Kong, in Xiamen.

Hong Kong is the ideal springboard for Mainland IT companies planning to expand overseas.

Director-General of Investment Promotion Mike Rowse underscored this point in his welcoming address in Xiamen today for the Seminar on Information Technology & Technology Industries in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is a well-developed regional IT centre, which has the business infrastructure, regulatory environment and professional know-how to support Mainland technology companies 'going global'," he said.

The seminar is jointly organised by InvestHK, the Ministry of Commerce and the Commercial Office of the Economic Affairs Department in the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Kong Kong.

More than 100 senior representatives and executives from leading technology companies on the Mainland attended the seminar.

Key speakers included Wang Ji-guang, Deputy Director-General, Foreign Economic Co-operation Department of the Ministry of Commerce; Richard Peng, Senior Vice President, China Development & Listing Promotion, Exchange Business Unit, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd; and Betty Fung, Cyberport Co-ordinator.

Mr Wang said the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the Mainland will provide new business opportunities. The Ministry of Commerce continues to encourage and support capable Mainland companies to fully leverage Hong Kong's numerous advantages to develop multilateral economic co-operation, he added.