Singapore firms keen to tap Northern Metropolis’ ‘massive potential’, envoy says

Singaporean businesses are keen to explore the “massive potential” emerging in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis megaproject after the country’s prime minister visited the site earlier this year, its top envoy to the city has said.

In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Singapore’s consul general to Hong Kong, Eric Teo Boon Hee, said the country’s business chambers were considering fact-finding missions to explore opportunities in the 30,000-hectare development.

During a visit in March, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong toured the 87-hectare Hong Kong park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.

The park forms part of the wider Northern Metropolis scheme, the centrepiece of Hong Kong’s long-term development strategy. The plan will transform land near the border with mainland China into what authorities hope will become a new engine of economic growth and a housing hub.

“The prime minister’s visit to the Northern Metropolis generated much interest in Singapore among some of the companies, and now they are interested to come and take a look,” Teo said, adding that the consulate was encouraging firms to visit.

“I know that the business chambers in Singapore are now planning to have study trips to come to the Northern Metropolis in the near future to explore these potential opportunities.”