'Rural development a vast opportunity for HK business'

Jonathan Choi, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, believes that focusing on rural modernisation is a huge opportunity for Hong Kong businesses. The Chinese government has outlined these priorities in its 15th Five-Year Plan, which covers the period from 2026 to 2030. The plan includes efforts to boost rural development, promote countryside tourism, and encourage rural entrepreneurship.

In 2023, Choi started engaging in poverty reduction efforts in Malipo County, located in the southeastern part of Yunnan Province. To standardise local tea production, he invested in a modern tea factory. This factory has produced high-quality tea products, which have been used as national gifts during state visits and exhibited at the United Nations.

Choi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, urged Hong Kong merchants to take advantage of the situation by expanding or relocating their businesses to rural areas in mainland China. "You can set up a tea factory, you can set up a coffee factory. You can set up many food factories.

If you're in manufacturing, you can bring Hong Kong's light industry there," he stated. "Because land over there is cheap, labour is cheap, and other resources are also quite cheap." He further explained that this industrial relocation can benefit both the local areas and Hong Kong businesses. Choi emphasized that Hong Kong enterprises can also play a crucial role in assisting mainland talent and products in going global.