- HKTDC Research unveils latest Mainland enterprise global expansion trends Next month’s Belt and Road Summit set to highlight international opportunities
Mainland enterprises are now adopting increasingly comprehensive global business strategies when it comes to their international expansion plans. This has seen them targeting trade with the world’s most advanced economies, as well as with many of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aligned territories and the key emerging economies. The dynamic evolution of their approach is highlighted by new research from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), which also details the pivotal role Hong Kong plays in helping such businesses overcome a variety of related challenges, including shifting global trade policies, rising protectionism, and ongoing supply chain reconfigurations.
In terms of the priorities of such globally-minded businesses, the HKTDC survey showed that 82% have plans in place to expand their existing overseas operations, while 63% are focused on developing new overseas business activities. In addition, some 54% plan to enhance their overseas sourcing operations, while 47% aim to expand their overseas sales networks, and 36% intend to enhance their overseas technology cooperation programmes.
Highlighting the upside for Hong Kong, Bruce Pang, Director of HKTDC Research, said: “With the overseas expansion strategies of Mainland enterprises now extending to supply chain integration, cross-border investment and higher value-added business activities, the need for highly professional support services has continued to grow. As the first-choice professional services hub for the majority of the surveyed enterprises, Hong Kong’s unique connectivity and unrivalled expertise have ensured it is playing an ever more significant role in helping Mainland business seize global opportunities.
“With many of these opportunities now stemming from the BRI economies, next month’s Belt and Road Summit is certain to bolster cross-regional cooperation and help Mainland businesses find the ideal Hong Kong partner for their global expansion plans”.
Balancing advanced and emerging market opportunities
Highlighting the significance of the Belt and Road markets within the global expansion strategies of many Mainland enterprises, 94% of surveyed companies confirmed their interest in developing business in these territories, a significant increase on the 73% recorded for a comparable survey in 2023. In addition, 91% of respondents are prioritising expanding their existing ASEAN activities, particularly within Singapore (49%), Vietnam (46%), Thailand (44%) and Malaysia (41%).
Looking further afield, 48% of surveyed enterprises intend to target Europe’s more advanced markets, while 47% plan to further develop their engagement with the US and Canada. Alongside this, interest in the Middle East rose from 33% in 2023 to 46% this year, while the proportion looking to expand into Latin America doubled from 17% to 34%. Compared with the 2023 survey, companies evidenced a far greater overall inclination to target all of the major overseas markets.
Global expansion fueled by evolving business environments
In addition to the uncertainties arising from changes in US trade policy, Mainland enterprises’ primary concerns include intensified competition from other regions (61%), geopolitical tensions (55%), rising Mainland costs (51%), and tariff and non-tariff trade barriers (50%). Against this backdrop, companies indicated they were looking to continuously improve production and service efficiency (60%), better manage risks in overseas markets (57%), and control overall production and sales costs (57%).
Wing Chu, Deputy Director of HKTDC Research, said: “Most enterprises pursuing international expansion plan to develop two to three overseas business functions (61%), indicating their intention to extend along different stages of the global industrial and business value chain. During this process they face major challenges, including difficulty coping with rapidly changing market uncertainties, intense competition in overseas markets, and insufficient capital to adjust business operations and supply chains. These challenges underline the growing need for professional services support.”
Hong Kong: The lead global expansion services platform
To help address the challenges of overseas expansion, 83% of surveyed enterprises saw Hong Kong as their first choice of services platform, followed by the Chinese Mainland (78%) and Singapore (31%). Overall, the services sought from Hong Kong were broad and diverse, with marketing, legal and accounting advisory, financing and risk management, supply chain management, research and development, product standards and ESG-related support all making the list.
Hong Kong continues as the lead global expansion service platform for Mainland enterprises, thanks to its highly internationalised business environment, robust legal system, free flow of capital and information, extensive international business networks and strong pool of professional talent.
The National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly supports Hong Kong’s integration into national development and highlights leveraging the city’s professional services strengths to support Chinese Mainland enterprises in going global and promoting high-quality international cooperation. In October 2025, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government launched the GoGlobal Task Force, integrating Hong Kong’s financial, business network and government resources to provide more comprehensive support for enterprises expanding overseas and further reinforcing Hong Kong’s role as a go global services platform.
Belt and Road Summit
Jointly organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the HKTDC, the Belt and Road Summit has long served as a premier platform for policy dialogue, business networking and deal-making, facilitating cross-regional and cross-sector collaboration while helping enterprises capture opportunities in Belt and Road and other emerging markets through Hong Kong. The 11th edition of the Summit will take place on 9-10 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Under the theme “Advancing High-Quality Development • Embarking on a New Journey”, the Summit will bring together senior government officials and business leaders, investors and professional services providers from around the world to explore collaboration opportunities amid evolving global economic conditions and exchange views on high-quality development across infrastructure, finance, innovation and technology, trade, global business expansion, cross-border investment and sustainable development.
To further support Chinese Mainland enterprises going global through Hong Kong, this year’s Summit will feature a dedicated “Go Global Chapter”, including two thematic breakout sessions focusing on overseas expansion opportunities and Hong Kong’s professional services strengths. There will also be a newly introduced “GoGlobal Connect” zone showcasing service offerings from various professional sectors in Hong Kong and providing consultation and practical support for Chinese Mainland enterprises. In addition, the Summit will organise a GoGlobal Business Mission to Nansha, Guangzhou, offering participants first-hand insights into the latest developments in the Greater Bay Area.
Over the years, the Belt and Road Summit has developed into a leading platform for promoting international cooperation, deal-making and business exchange among Belt and Road countries and regions, helping enterprises tap into global opportunities.
Mainland Enterprises’ Global Expansion: Hong Kong – The Premier Service Platform:
https://research.hktdc.com/en/article/MjQwNjQ5OTA3MA
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The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the Mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus.