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Hong Kong is stepping up efforts to position the Northern Metropolis as a platform connecting ASEAN businesses with opportunities across the Greater Bay Area, as diplomats, chamber representatives and business leaders from Southeast Asia were brought on a government-led tour of the mega-development project.

The nearly 70-strong delegation, organised by the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation (HKAF) in conjunction with the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office (NMCO), comprised ASEAN consuls-general, chamber representatives, and leaders from the business and academic sectors, along with consular and institutional representatives from Belarus, Canada, Hungary and the UK.

The visit comes as Hong Kong seeks stronger economic ties with Southeast Asia while accelerating development of the Northern Metropolis, a project envisioned as a cornerstone of the city’s long-term integration with the Greater Bay Area.

ASEAN remained Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner in 2025, with merchandise trade reaching HK$1.67 trillion, or 15.3 per cent of the city’s total trade, according to the Trade and Industry Department. Daryl Ng, Chairman of the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation, said the Northern Metropolis could serve as a platform connecting international businesses with opportunities across the Greater Bay Area.

“The Northern Metropolis is a key component in Hong Kong’s long-term development,” he said. “As the first Hong Kong project included in the national 15th Five-Year Plan, it reflects the Central Authorities’ strong support for Hong Kong’s future.”

Ng said the area would serve as a development base for Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland enterprises while functioning as a hub for innovation and industry. “It provides a platform for strengthening collaboration between the international community and the Greater Bay Area.”

Leading the delegation, Linda So Wai-sze, Director of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, said the development was intended to support Hong Kong’s role under national development strategies.

“The Northern Metropolis is an important platform for Hong Kong to fulfil its role of ‘bringing in and going global’ under the national development strategy,” she said.

“International enterprises may use it as a gateway to access the Greater Bay Area and other Chinese Mainland markets, while facilitating the expansion of Chinese Mainland enterprises into overseas markets.”

Source: News - South China Morning Post