Open Business Environment
Hong Kong has always maintained an open business environment for business activities and commerce.
One Country, Two Systems
Hong Kong has maintained its own currency, political and legal systems. This has allowed the city to continue to flourish as an international business city whilst enjoying the benefits of unrivalled access to opportunities in Mainland China.
Some of the benefits of One Country, Two Systems include:
- No foreign ownership restrictions
- English and Chinese as official languages with English the preferred language for business and contracts
- Free movement of capital, talent, goods and information
- Independent participation in international forums
World’s Most Competitive Economy
Hong Kong has been recognised as one of the world’s most competitive economy. The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitive Yearbook 2024 ranked Hong Kong 5th out of 67 economies.
The ranking reflects the consistent strides Hong Kong has made in building a favourable business environment. IMD assessed the economy across four competitiveness factors; economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure. Hong Kong's rankings in "Business efficiency" and "Infrastructure" rose notably and came within the top 10 globally. Our ranking in "Government efficiency" also stayed high among the top three. Our ranking in "Economic performance" also saw significant improvement, reflecting the economic recovery in 2023. As regards the sub-factors, Hong Kong topped the rankings in "International trade" and "Business legislation", and was among the global top five in "Tax policy", "International investment", "Basic infrastructure", "Finance" and "Education".
Strong Intellectual Property Protection
The Government of Hong Kong SAR has specific policies and legal protection in place for intellectual property rights. The city’s intellectual property laws have been developed to reach the highest international standards to create a free and fair business environment.