Hong Kong ─ Germany

Germany is Hong Kong’s largest trading partner of the EU and ranked 13th among Hong Kong’s trading partners in the world. Bilateral trade amounted to EUR 13.2 billion in 2023. Hong Kong also played a significant role in the trade between the Mainland of China and Germany, with about 3.9% of the trade routed through Hong Kong, amounting to some EUR 7.46 billion.

• 1st place
  HK's trading partner in the EU
  (2023)
• EUR 13.2 billion
  Bilateral trade volume
  (2023)
• 10th place
  Germany's trading partner in Asia
  (2023)

In 2023, Hong Kong’s main exports to Germany were ores and concentrates of precious metals; waste, scrap and sweepings of precious metals (other than of gold) (27.5%), jewellery (21.5%) and silver & platinum (16.1%). Hong Kong’s main imports from Germany included semi-conductors, electronic valves and tubes (13.3%), works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques (8.8%) and aircraft & associated equipment; spacecraft; & parts (7.3%).

As of 2023, there were 96 regional headquarters, 133 regional offices and 197 local offices in Hong Kong representing parent companies located in Germany as well as using Hong Kong as a gateway for doing business with the Mainland of China and the rest of Asia.

Strong bilateral ties have been underpinned by high-level government and trade visits. In May 2023, Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Health, Prof Dr Edgar Franke; and President of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), Prof Dr Karl Broich, visited Hong Kong and met with Secretary for Health, Prof Lo Chung-mau, the Chief Executive of Hospital Authority, Dr Tony Ko and the Chairman of Hospital Authority, Mr Henry Fan. In January 2020, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Bundesbank, Mr Burkhard Balz, attended the 13th Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. In December 2019, the Group Chairman of German Alliance 90 / the Green Party, Ms Katrin Goring-Eckardt, and Vice Chairman of German Alliance 90/ The Green Party, Mr Oliver Krischer, visited Hong Kong and met with the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung. In August 2019, Member of German Federal Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Frank Steffel, and in July 2019, National Chairman of German Free Democratic Party, Mr Christian Lindner, paid official visits to Hong Kong and met with the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau. In September 2018, the Chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy of the German Bundestag, Mr Klaus Ernst, visited Hong Kong and met with the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung.

From Hong Kong, in April 2024, the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, visited Frankfurt, Germany, and met with representatives from local university and chamber of commerce. In end of September 2023, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, paid a visit to Germany and met with representatives from the banking and Artificial Intelligence sector and also startup and venture capital communities in Berlin and Frankfurt. In early September 2023, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, led a delegation to Munich to meet with senior government officials and business leaders from Germany and gave a speech at the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area – Europe Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference in Munich. In June 2023, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, spoke at AsiaBerlin Summit and met with different universities, research institutes, companies and other interlocutors on the innovation and technology front in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. In October 2018, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, spoke at a Business Luncheon in Frankfurt highlighting Hong Kong's paramount role as a capital raising and asset and wealth management centre. In January 2018, the Secretary for Transport and Housing and Chairman of the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council (LOGSCOUNCIL), Mr Frank Chan Fan, led a delegation comprising members of the LOGSCOUNCIL to Germany to promote Hong Kong as a regional premier logistics hub. In June 2018, the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, attended the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Some 40 Nobel Laureates and 600 young scientists from different countries took part in the meeting. In July 2017, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, attended the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders' Summit in Hamburg as part of the delegation of the People's Republic of China. In March 2017, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, the Secretary for Transport and Housing, led a Hong Kong maritime delegation to visit Hamburg to promote Hong Kong’s maritime services.

Hong Kong and Germany have a Working Holiday Scheme agreement, allowing young people from the two places to spend up to one year in the respective territory and take up temporary employment. Since August 2014, the annual quota under the Scheme has been doubled from 150 to 300. Also, numerous partnerships exist between Hong Kong and German universities with manifold exchange programmes.

During 2023, 106,767 Germans visited Hong Kong.