HK picks Illinois as partner
HKTDC says missions will enhance two-way trade and investment, writes John Cremer
In looking to boost productive business exchanges with US-based enterprises, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has chosen the state of Illinois as a key strategic partner.
The aim is to build on existing ties and complementary strengths, giving established companies the advice they need to break into new markets and opening doors for others keen to innovate and expand.
"We have been working closely with the Illinois Department of Commerce, helping them to take full advantage of our trade fairs to market the state's products and services in and through Hong Kong," says Winchell Cheung, the HKTDC's Chicago-based director for the US Midwest. "We already have more than a thousand buyers from Illinois visiting our fairs every year, and we are working on multiple missions for the coming months, which will enhance two-way trade and investment."
One direct result of these efforts will see Chicago as a partner city at the Business of Design Week (BODW) and InnoDesignTech (IDT) Expo in December. This will provide great opportunities to promote the city's design industry in Hong Kong and for local attendees to catch the eye of potential clients and collaborators.
It follows a successful template from last year when a special Illinois pavilion at the Hong Kong Medical Fair generated much positive feedback. It will also tie in with a planned outward-bound investment mission to Chicago and other North American cities which should take place in the fourth quarter.
Organised jointly by the HKTDC and the mainland's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), two similar initiatives in the past couple of years proved a big hit with participants and created all kinds of new business interest at the selected stops along the way.
In particular, the "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" mission, which saw a high-powered 150-strong delegation visiting Chicago in June last year, highlighted the importance of Asia's role in driving global economic growth and Hong Kong's hub status in terms of trade and financial activity.
