External Investment
The Industry Department promotes and facilitates overseas investment in
the industries of Hong Kong. It maintains a One Stop Unit in Hong Kong
which works closely with seven overseas Investment Promotion Units in
North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. Together, they provide
advice and assistance to potential overseas investors in developing and
implementing their investment plans in Hong Kong.
Surveys conducted by the Industry Department and Census & Statistics
Department show there were 403 foreign-owned manufacturing
companies and 4 477 foreign-owned non-manufacturing companies in
Hong Kong at the end of 1996. Total stock of direct investment amounted
to $532.6 billion at original cost. Charts 3 and 4 give further information
on the industries and source countries of the external investment. These
foreign-owned companies together employed 326 921 people (i.e. 13 per
cent of Hong Kong's total employment). Foreign-owned manufacturing
companies accounted for 36 per cent of Hong Kong's total domestic
exports.
Chart 3
Stock of Inward Direct Investment in Hong Kong (Distribution by
Business Sector)
Chart 4 Stock of Inward Direct Investment in Hong Kong (Distribution by
Major Investor Country).
Another Industry Department survey identified 2 307 overseas companies
which had established regional headquarters or regional offices in Hong
Kong by mid-1996, to co-ordinate their business activities in the region.
To provide additional assurance to overseas investors, Hong Kong has
concluded 13 bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements
with its major investment partners, including Australia, Austria,
Belgium/Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland.
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