Hong Kong start-ups have ‘high hopes’ for Saudi trip as Paul Chan heads to FII
Hong Kong firms eye expansion, with finance chief leading a high-powered delegation to Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh
Hong Kong enterprises have “high hopes” that a visit to Saudi Arabia as part of a high-powered delegation led by the city’s finance chief will help strengthen ties with the country and expand their business in the Middle East.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will depart for Riyadh on Monday to attend the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum, often dubbed “Davos in the Desert”, to be held in the Saudi capital this week.
One of the delegation’s members, Martin Zhu, CEO and co-founder of start-up i2Cool, told the Post that he was determined to use the summit, which runs from Monday to Thursday, to learn more about the country.
“I hope to meet the Saudi Arabian authorities [with the help of the Hong Kong government] to see if there are chances for us to develop business there,” he said.
Zhu’s company, set up at the Hong Kong Science Park, focuses mainly on electricity-free cooling technology for buildings through special paints, which he said suited Saudi Arabia.
He revealed that his company had already expanded its business in other Middle East countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).