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Vivian Au

Hong Kong and Malaysia are poised to deepen economic ties across key sectors, such as semiconductor manufacturing, to unlock mutual growth opportunities, the head of the city’s Trade Development Council (TDC) has said.
Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang made the comment on Monday as he joined Hong Kong’s biggest delegation to Malaysia to date under the city’s “Think Business, Think Hong Kong” flagship campaign.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, he cited the delegation as a sign of robust commercial interest and expanding regional collaboration – fostering more business between Hong Kong and Malaysia, paving the way for stronger ties across key industries.
“Hong Kong has built a close relationship with Malaysia, a country with strong capabilities in semiconductor manufacturing … Hong Kong boasts a rich talent pool that can support Malaysian firms,” he said.
Ma added that Hong Kong could serve as a “superconnector” to help Malaysian enterprises tap into the mainland Chinese market, particularly the Greater Bay Area.
The delegation will host a full-day conference at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday as part of the flagship business campaign. The event will focus on core sectors such as finance, innovation and technology, and healthcare.
The delegation includes Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah, who said ahead of the trip that the mission would focus on exploring business opportunities and finalising agreements to cement bilateral investment.
“More than 200 participants from Hong Kong will attend the conference, making it our largest delegation ever for an event of this kind,” Ma said on Monday.
He expressed confidence that the event would highlight Hong Kong’s role as a dynamic business and innovation hub, enabling global firms to capture emerging opportunities while spurring greater commercial interaction between Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Ma stressed that despite the sheer size of traditional markets in Europe and the United States, the city needed to guard against complacency and actively diversify into new markets.

The TDC would also deepen its push into Southeast Asia by increasing the number of staff at its office in Kuala Lumpur, including transferring an officer from Hong Kong to bring the on-site headcount to five, he said.
Outside Southeast Asia, the council has also stepped up efforts to boost commercial ties between Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and the mainland by helping firms to set up local offices and capitalise on the city’s financial services infrastructure.
At a press event ahead of the conference, TDC executive director Sophia Chong Suk-fan also noted that the council intended to hire more staff for its Vietnam office to support businesses aiming to capitalise on international opportunities.
Ma, meanwhile, touched on geopolitical tensions, including volatility in the Middle East, and observed that some foreign capital previously tied up in the region was being reallocated to alternative markets, with Hong Kong emerging as a favoured destination.
On the US-China rivalry, he said that while friction between the two superpowers would persist, Hong Kong stood to gain from the situation as it offered a stable commercial environment, a robust legal system and a vast talent pool.
“Hong Kong always comes out on top,” Ma said, expressing optimism about the city’s economic outlook, despite acknowledging that some retail landlords were struggling with vacant storefronts.
He added that the recovery would take time as the economy was undergoing a structural transition.


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Hong Kong, Malaysia set for ‘deeper ties in semiconductor making, other sectors’

TDC’s Frederick Ma and Sophia Chong pose for a photo as the “Think Business, Think Hong Kong” flagship campaign gets under way in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Vivian Au

A view of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. The TDC will increase the number of staff at its office in the city as part of a push into Southeast Asia. Photo: EPA

The head of the Trade Development Council says Hong Kong has built a close relationship with Malaysia. Photo: AP

The delegation also includes commerce minister Algernon Yau. Photo: May Tse

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Hong Kong commerce chief Algernon Yau will lead a delegation of mainland Chinese and local firms to Malaysia. Photo: May Tse

InvestHK is tasked with bringing in direct investment of no less than HK$120 billion to Hong Kong. Photo: Karma Lo

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A drone view shows traffic during evening rush hours at the business district in Jakarta, Indonesia. Mainland Chinese firms are expanding into Asean markets. Photo: Reuters

(From left) TDC principal economist Wendy Hu, Bruce Pang and senior economist Cherry Yeung at a press briefing on the research. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma makes comment as he joins Hong Kong’s biggest delegation to Malaysia to date for conference


Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma makes comment as he joins Hong Kong’s biggest delegation to Malaysia to date for conference.


Hong Kong, Malaysia set for ‘deeper ties in semiconductor making, other sectors’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma makes comment as he joins Hong Kong’s biggest delegation to Malaysia to date for conference

Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma makes comment as he joins Hong Kong’s biggest delegation to Malaysia to date for conference