HK a better gateway for Japanese companies to China: official

The increasing economic integration with the Mainland of China has made Hong Kong a more competitive gateway for Japanese companies to partner with, Sally Wong, principal representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo said Thursday.

When talking about comparison with Singapore in attracting Japan investments and cooperation, Wong said the two are something like competitors on one hand, while on the other hand they are very complimenting each other.

She said that Singapore is geographically close to ASEAN, while Hong Kong also has strong presence in this area.

"There are many different ways Japanese businessmen can partner with Hong Kong companies to go to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, on the other hand, they can partner with the same company to go into China," Wong told Xinhua. "For Singapore, it's good for ( exploiting) ASEAN, but not so good for entering China."

Wong also said, to promote regional cooperation, the Hong Kong government will consider opening more economic and trade offices in Asia and further negotiating with ASEAN for a Hong Kong-ASEAN free trade agreement.