Hong Kong Pushes into ASEAN: 100 Companies Headed to Malaysia

Hong Kong is bringing 100 companies to Kuala Lumpur next month. The pitch? Use Malaysia as your ASEAN entry point.

“Malaysia is now the first choice for Hong Kong and mainland companies looking at ASEAN — not one of the options but the option.” That’s according to Hong Kong Trade Development Council regional director Kwanho Leung.

The delegation includes finance, legal, tech, and engineering firms — plus 30 startups working on property tech, renewable energy, and waste management. They’re looking at the Johor-Singapore SEZ as a potential Shenzhen 2.0 for Southeast Asia.

What does this actually mean?

If you’re a Malaysian business looking at Hong Kong, you now have more potential partners coming your way. If you’re a Hong Kong business looking at Malaysia, you’ve got more competition, but also more infrastructure and more market validation.

The Johor-Singapore SEZ is getting real attention. Hong Kong companies want to replicate what they built with Shenzhen. The question is whether the SEZ can deliver that.

What’s driving all this? Diversification. Hong Kong companies want to reduce their reliance on US and European markets. ASEAN is the hedge.

Leung also made the reverse case: Hong Kong is a two-way connector for Malaysian companies looking at China’s Greater Bay Area.

This isn’t just about trade flows. It’s about where the region is heading. And where the region is heading is where you should be heading too.