InvestHK Strengthens Hong Kong's Role as Gateway for Mainland Green-Tech Enterprises Going Global
- Written by: Telegraph Magazine
The Global Head of Financial Services, FinTech and Sustainability at InvestHK, Mr King Leung, said the convergence of three far-reaching global trends has created unprecedented opportunities for Chinese green technology companies to enter international markets.
The first is geopolitical volatility. Conflict in the Middle East disrupted critical oil supply chains and sent energy prices into sharp fluctuation, prompting governments and companies to accelerate the energy transition and diversify supply risk. The second is the AI wave, whose immense computing demands are driving a staggering appetite for electricity and spurring rapid innovation across the entire ecosystem, from data centres and energy storage facilities to clean energy technologies. The third is extreme heat: this summer's unprecedented heat waves pushed temperatures in parts of Europe above 40°C, prompting Eurostar to announce that its next generation of trains must be equipped with air-conditioning systems capable of operating at 55°C to meet operating demands in the decades ahead.
"Green technology and sustainability carry lower geopolitical sensitivity than many other sectors and remain a blue-ocean field with vast untapped potential," said Leung. "Against this backdrop, mainland enterprises have built formidable competitive advantages across energy storage, solar power, wind energy, circular economy solutions, electric vehicles and hydrogen technologies — in both technical sophistication and cost competitiveness. This is a window for them to showcase their technology, brands and even Chinese green standards to the world, and Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to help transform these strengths into international growth opportunities."
Morgan Stanley's 2026 Sustainable Signals survey shows that 92 percent of individual investors worldwide have an interest in sustainable investing, a figure that continues to reach new highs, underscoring how firmly sustainability has secured its place among the most closely watched investment themes globally.
Leung noted that Hong Kong's role as a "super-connector" and "super value-adder" has become increasingly vital in helping mainland enterprises navigate international expansion. "Hong Kong provides far more than capital. From identifying untapped markets and matching the right enterprises with the right destinations and strategic partners, to building relationships and providing sustained support, we connect enterprises with the markets, partners, professional services and international networks essential for successful overseas growth," he said.
In June, InvestHK led its first New Energy and Sustainability Business Mission to the United Kingdom, jointly organised with the UK Department for Business and Trade. The delegation brought together 25 companies spanning battery and energy storage, renewable energy and hydrogen, smart electric vehicle infrastructure, advanced materials and AI. Approximately half of the participating companies were from the Chinese mainland and seeking international expansion opportunities, while the remainder were innovators from Hong Kong and overseas — a composition that in itself reflects Hong Kong's role as the pivotal hub of a two-way green investment corridor.
The two-week programme across London, Edinburgh and Aberdeen delivered results that exceeded expectations. A post-mission survey found that more than 80 percent of participating companies planned to expand their UK operations within the next two years, with over half already moving to quantify their investment commitments in concrete terms. Beyond the "go-global" dimension, UK companies also expressed keen interest in conducting green technology research and development and establishing intellectual property in Hong Kong while leveraging the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for large-scale production. The Northern Metropolis, too, has caught their attention as an area to watch, further validating Hong Kong's positioning as a two-way investment platform connecting the nation with international markets.
Leung highlighted Hong Kong's mature green finance ecosystem as a distinctive advantage in mobilising patient capital at scale. The city's green and sustainable bond issuances have topped the Asian league table for eight consecutive years; in 2025, approximately US$40 billion in related bonds were arranged in Hong Kong, representing around 40 percent of Asia's total. As of the first quarter of 2026, Hong Kong was home to 190 environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds recognised by the Securities and Futures Commission, with assets under management reaching US$139.1 billion.
"Hong Kong is not only a capital marketplace; it is also an incubator and accelerator for green technology, where innovations can be commercialised, scaled and introduced to global investors," Leung said. He noted that one mainland energy storage system solution provider in the UK delegation is, with InvestHK's support, currently undertaking early-stage international market engagement ahead of a planned listing in Hong Kong.
A further advantage that sets Hong Kong apart is its ability to help internationalise China's leading green technologies and standards. Backed by an internationally recognised legal framework, a robust intellectual property protection regime and world-class professional services, the city offers a rich variety of internationally credible settings — from fully integrated circular economy models spanning electronics recycling through to retail, to photovoltaic vacuum glass panels on the façades of high-rise buildings, and the refining of waste cooking oil into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
"By leveraging Hong Kong's international connectivity, IP protection and trusted business environment, we are steadily building a compelling narrative around Chinese green standards and telling the story of Chinese green innovation to the world," Leung said.
As geopolitical, regulatory and operational uncertainty deepens, safeguarding corporate interests during the go-global journey remains a key concern for enterprises. To support them, InvestHK will organise a series of practical go-global workshops, bringing in professional services providers from the banking, insurance and advisory sectors to share the latest market intelligence and practical guidance from a risk management perspective, helping companies prepare for the range of contingencies they may encounter. In parallel, InvestHK will lead another sustainability-focused business delegation to Canada in September, extending the reach of Hong Kong's two-way green investment platform even further afield.
Leung said mainland green technology and sustainability enterprises have made enormous strides in research, innovation and manufacturing and are, in many respects, already ahead of the curve globally. "InvestHK will continue to press forward on investment attraction and promotion, connecting these outstanding enterprises with the right capital, markets and ecosystems," he said. "With Hong Kong serving as the showcase window, we will help bring the country's most compelling green growth stories to the global stage, one by one."
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