InvestHK and the Shanghai Municipal Government Foreign Economic Relations & Trade Commission will organise their first-ever joint investment promotion seminar in Tokyo on March 8.

Entitled Hong Kong & Shanghai - the Two Engines for China's Economic Development, the seminar is the first investment promotion initiative Hong Kong and Shanghai have ever conducted together overseas. The event is expected to attract considerable interest from senior Japanese business executives.

It is designed to identify huge business opportunities and market potential for Japanese companies in China - particularly in the country's leading commercial regions, the Pearl and Yangtze River Deltas. The focus will be on Hong Kong and Shanghai as the hubs and bases to access these two economically dynamic zones.

Director-General of Investment Promotion Mike Rowse said Hong Kong's position as an Asian business hub has attracted over 2,100 Japanese companies to set up their regional headquarters or offices in the city.

Complementary advantages

"Hong Kong has also been a base for foreign investors to develop businesses elsewhere in the Mainland, including Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta. The combined strengths of these regions have created substantial opportunities for business development," Mr Rowse said.

"We look forward to using the seminar as a platform to present the complementary advantages of Hong Kong and Shanghai to Japanese investors."

Shanghai Municipal Government Foreign Economic Relations & Trade Commission Chairman Pan Longqing said Shanghai and Hong Kong are the two engines of China's economic development.

"This is the first time for the two cities to jointly organise investment promotion activities in Japan. We hope that this seminar will provide a good opportunity for Japanese companies to gain a better understanding of Shanghai and Hong Kong, and to expand their businesses in both places."

Sharing experience

Top executives from Hitachi and Bandai Logipal will share their successful strategies for investing in the two jurisdictions. Daiwa Institute of Research (HK) Senior Economist Xiao Minjie will discuss business opportunities and prospects for Japanese companies in China in a macro perspective.