Hong Kong Economic Growth on Track for 3.5%-4.5% Target, Says Chan

Hong Kong economic growth remains on track to reach the government’s 3.5%-4.5% target for 2026, according to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who highlighted strong exports and demand for artificial intelligence-related products.

The economy expanded 5.1% during the first half, its strongest half-year performance in almost five years.

Goods exports surged 53% year-on-year in August to HKD667.9bn (USD85.1bn), while exports during the first eight months increased 42.5%, putting the city on course for its strongest annual increase in decades.

Chan said AI-related products account for around 70% of total exports.

Private investment has also strengthened, with spending on machinery, equipment and intellectual property products increasing 38.4% during the first half.

Chan additionally highlighted Hong Kong’s role in providing regulatory and legal frameworks supporting AI development and facilitating cross-border data flows.