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Doing business & staying in touch

Businesspeople are generally expected to dress smartly. Local businesspeople are usually extremely hospitable and speak English. Appointments should be made in advance and punctuality is appreciated. Business cards are widely used and should have a Chinese translation on the reverse. Most top hotels provide business centres for visiting businesspeople, with typing, duplication, translation and other services.

Hong Kong
Suits are advisable for business; Hong Kong can be surprisingly formal in its outward business standards, in contrast to the casual buccaneering entrepreneurialism of its business practice. The culture of business cards is prevalent and, if possible, cards should be printed with Chinese translations on the reverse. Appointments should be fixed in advance and kept.

Although business lunches (especially dim sum) and after-hours drinking are a prevalent part of the Hong Kong business scene, there is not the same emphasis on drinking parties and karaoke bonding evenings as there is in mainland China and Japan. Expat workers drink together frequently, but this is not a formal part of local business culture.

Office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0900-1300 and 1400-1700, Sat 0900-1300. Some offices remain open later on Saturday. Some Chinese offices open earlier than 0900 and close later than 1700.

Economy: 

Hong Kong's economy has moved away from manufacturing and is now service-based, acting as a major corporate and banking centre as well as a conduit for China's burgeoning exports. Manufacturing is concentrated in textiles, consumer electronics and other consumer goods. Hong Kong's natural deep-water cargo port is one of the busiest and most efficient in the region. Much regional trade is still conducted through Hong Kong.

Soon after Hong Kong's handover to China in July 1997, Asia's financial crisis hit. With its mature and stable banking system, Hong Kong weathered the immediate storm, but its economy was affected by a large financial depression across Asia. After a brief recovery, by mid 2002 the economy was contracting and in 2003 the SARS epidemic caused a further, prolonged downturn. Since 2004, however, Hong Kong has enjoyed a buoyant recovery, with a new wave of construction and infrastructure investment evident, and a major influx of cash-rich tourists from mainland China. In late 2008, Hong Kong's financial markets were badly affected by the global financial crisis, and the government considerably downgraded its growth forecasts for 2008 and 2009.
The Hong Kong Convention and Incentive Travel Bureau is a division of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which specialises in promoting Hong Kong, branded as 'Asia's World City', as a leading venue. It publishes lavish and detailed brochures showcasing the region for conference and incentive planners, together with a glossy catalogue of promotional material, a directory of associations and societies in Hong Kong and an excellent website (www.discoverhongkong.com). The main expo venues are the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the AsiaWorld Exhibitions Centre.

GDP: 

US$301 billion (2009).

Main exports: 

Electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, watches and clocks, toys and precious stones.

Main imports: 

Raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods, capital goods, food and fuel (most is re-exported).

Main trading partners: 

China (PR), Japan, USA, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea (Rep).

Telephone: 

Local public telephone calls can be made either with phonecards or coins. Local calls are free from private phones.

Mobile phone: 

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Mobile telephones also function all over the underground network, thanks to transmitters installed in the tunnels. It is possible to hire a mobile phone at the international airport.

Internet: 

Internet facilities are available at libraries and Internet cafes are plentiful. Many cafes and hotels offer Wi-Fi access.

Post: 

Regular postal services are available. Airmail to Europe takes three to five days.

Post office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0800-1800; Sat 0800-1400.

Media: 

Hong Kong has one of the world's largest film industries and is a major centre for broadcasting and publishing. Hong Kong's media are a lot more editorially free than the rest of China. However, there is still reported self-censorship and pressure on editorial policies. Many international and pan-Asian broadcasters are based in the territory. Hong Kong's terrestrial commercial TV networks, TVB and ATV, can also be received in neighbouring Guangdong province. Public broadcaster Radio-TV Hong Kong (RTHK) operates several radio and TV networks. There are scores of Chinese-language newspapers and a handful of English-language dailies.

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