Hong Kong SAR

The EU and Hong Kong enjoy a stable trade relationship. Bilateral trade and economic relations are mature and characterised by a very limited incidence of trade irritants.

Bilateral trade relations between the EU and Hong Kong have been discussed since 2007, in Structured Dialogue meetings involving the European Commission and Hong Kong’s government authorities. For political and practical reasons, no such dialogue has taken place since December 2019. 

Trade picture

• Hong Kong was the EU's 31^st largest trading partner in goods in 2024. The EU is Hong Kong's fourth-largest trading partner, after China, Taiwan, and the United States.
• In 2024, the EU's total exports to Hong Kong amounted to €24 billion, while imports from Hong Kong totalled €4.2 billion. This resulted in a positive trade surplus of €19.8 billion for the EU.
• The EU's top exported goods to Hong Kong in 2024 included €8.3 billion in machinery and transport equipment (34.9% of total exports), €7.9 billion in miscellaneous manufactured articles (33.2%), €2.8 billion in chemicals and related products (11.8%), €2.2 billion in manufactured goods classified chiefly by material (9.5%), and €1.2 billion in food and live animals (5.2%).
• The EU's top imported goods from Hong Kong in 2024 included €2.1 billion in machinery and transport equipment (49.4% of total imports), €1.4 billion in miscellaneous manufactured articles (33.2%), €413 million in manufactured goods classified chiefly by material (9.6%), €136 million in chemicals and related products (3.2%), and €113 million in commodities and transactions (2.6%).
• In commercial services, Hong Kong ranked as the EU’s tenth-biggest trading partner in 2022, highlighting dynamic growth in recent years (doubling since 2017). The main areas of EU-Hong Kong trade in services are transportation and business and financial services.
• In terms of foreign direct investment, the EU's outward stock of investment in Hong Kong was €82 billion, while the inward stock from Hong Kong into the EU was €157.3 billion in 2023.
• According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong SAR government in 2023, the EU represents the largest foreign business community in Hong Kong. A total of 1,548 EU companies have established operations in Hong Kong, with about half using the city as their regional headquarters or regional offices. The EU’s business presence encompasses a wide range of sectors, including financial and business services, trading, logistics, construction, and retailing. EU companies play a key role in various sectors of the Hong Kong economy, including finance (banking, insurance, and securities), logistics, and infrastructure.

The EU and Hong Kong

Bilateral trade relations between the EU and Hong Kong are regularly discussed in annual Structured Dialogue meetings that have been held every year since 2007 involving the European Commission and Hong Kong’s government authorities.

The yearly Structured Dialogue meetings between the European Commission and Hong Kong's government authorities allow the EU to exchange information with the Hong Kong authorities on a variety of key issues affecting bilateral trade.

Trading with Hong Kong

• Importing into the EU from Hong Kong
  • EU trade defence measures on imports from Hong Kong
• Exporting from the EU to Hong Kong
  • Trade defence measures in force in Hong Kong
• Trade relations are part of the EU's overall political and economic relations with Hong Kong
• Hong Kong is a member of the World Trade Organization