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HK favored for accessing mainland licensing market

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-02 19:14

HONG KONG  -- Hong Kong has been favored by many international licensors and agents as the strategic base for accessing the growing Chinese mainland licensing market, a local trade official said Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong International Licensing Show, Benjamin Chau, assistant executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said the mainland has come to be the second largest licensing trade market in Asia.

Organizers of the Hong Kong show, which saw over 130 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions, established a group pavilion for exhibitors from the Chinese mainland, alongside group pavilions for Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

The Chinese mainland licensing market was worth over 1.1 billion US dollars in 2005, as compared to 0.6 billion US dollars in 2001, and has been expanding fast to become the second largest market in Asia, and with huge potential, too, according to the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association.

Major sports events such as the Beijing Olympics, as well as the World Expo expected in 2010 in Shanghai, were also adding to the momentum of the booming mainland market.

Hong Kong business organizations, which enjoyed closer ties with the Chinese mainland, has been major players of the licensing market there.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been one of the most developed licensing markets in Asia, with strengths derived from factors such as intellectual property, rich experience of conducting business with mainland businessmen, etc.

The strength of Hong Kong as the platform for accessing the mainland market was ever more prominent and it "has been chosen by many international licensors as the strategic base to expand their licensing business in and beyond the region," Chau said.