KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has officially opened its long-term Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Kuala Lumpur to strengthen trade, investment and other ties with Malaysia and the region.

The office, which began operations in December 2025, is Hong Kong’s 15th overseas Economic and Trade Office and fourth in Asean after Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok.

Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said the establishment of the office was made possible with the support of the Malaysian government.

He said the Kuala Lumpur office would deepen Hong Kong’s economic, trade and investment ties with Malaysia and the other economies under its purview, while strengthening its presence in the strategically important region.

“Asean has been our second largest trade-in-goods partner since 2010, while Malaysia is our eighth largest partner,” he said in his speech at the office’s opening ceremony on August 11.

Yau said the HKETO, together with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, would work to strengthen government-to-government and business-to-business links and facilitate two-way trade and investment.

“We will create more opportunities and win-win collaboration in areas of mutual interest — whether in finance and fintech, innovation,” he said.

The HKETO in Kuala Lumpur handles bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Malaysia, Brunei, Laos and Pakistan, while promoting two-way trade and investment, cultural exchanges and tourism.

The office will also serve as a “super-connector” for trade and investment and a “super value-adder” supporting Hong Kong and Chinese mainland enterprises seeking to expand overseas.

A statement issued in conjunction with the opening said Asean is Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner in goods and third-largest in services.

Trade in goods between Hong Kong and Asean grew at an average annual rate of 7.6 per cent between 2021 and 2025.

Hong Kong also handled HK$680.5 billion in re-exports between the Chinese mainland and Asean last year, equivalent to 8 per cent of their total bilateral trade, it said.

The new office will drive two-way trade and investment through the “Economic and Trade Express” platform in collaboration with Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

The platform will lead business missions, help local small and medium enterprises and start-ups access high-potential markets, and support efforts to attract inward investment.

The office will also support the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to guide Chinese companies seeking to expand overseas.

The opening ceremony was attended by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing, Hong Kong Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma, Foreign Affairs Ministry Chief of Protocol Ikram Mohd Ibrahim and HKETO Kuala Lumpur director Owin Fung.