Hong Kong's finance chief has expressed optimism about the city's economic outlook for 2026, while forecasting 2025 growth to accelerate to 3.2%, surpassing earlier projections. He attributed this positive outlook mainly to anticipated growth in mainland China and Asia, along with interest rate cuts.
Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po struck an upbeat tone in his Sunday blog post, stating that looking ahead to next year, the city's economy is expected to maintain its positive momentum. The market generally anticipates that while the global economy may slow, it will still maintain moderate expansion. He forecast that real gross domestic product (GDP) growth for all of 2025 would accelerate to 3.2 per cent, outperforming earlier government estimates of between 2 and 3 per cent.
Chan attributed this strong performance to robust exports, resilient investments and a vibrant asset market, with these key drivers expected to sustain growth into next year. He also pledged that Hong Kong would seek to upgrade its role as an international financial centre and a trade and technology hub to take advantage of national development strategies laid down in China’s 15th five-year plan.
Hong Kong will align with national development strategies, focusing on three growth engines: finance, innovation and technology, and trade. However, his optimism was questioned by former finance chief John Tsang Chun-wah and some economists.
“Looking ahead to next year, Hong Kong’s economy is expected to maintain its positive momentum. The market generally anticipates that while the global economy may slow, it will still maintain moderate expansion,” Chan said.