Nearly 80 per cent of the EU companies responding to the Trade Development Council (TDC) survey said they were using - or would consider using - Hong Kong services to bolster their operations in the PRD.

Among the respondents that were using Hong Kong services, 54 per cent have set up regional headquarters/offices here, or branch offices here. Some 37 per cent were also using Hong Kong to explore marketing and sales opportunities in the PRD, highlighting Hong Kong as a vital springboard for EU companies seeking to enter the huge and potentially lucrative mainland market.

More than 90 per cent of the EU companies in PRD also said they were expanding their operations there in the next five years. In addition, EU companies are acquiring a wide range of other services from Hong Kong to support their operations in the PRD and beyond. These included banking and financial services, import-export services, transportation and logistics.

The TDC survey was carried out in March-April during the Sars outbreak which showed that EU companies relied strongly on Hong Kong as a services platform and would seek more services from Hong Kong as their operations grew.

Click Hong Kong, a vital services base for EU companies in the Pearl River Delta