Hong Kong finance chief upbeat about 2026 outlook on back of 3.2% growth
Paul Chan says Hong Kong will align with national development strategies, focusing on three growth engines: finance, innovation and technology, and trade
Hong Kong’s finance chief has struck an upbeat tone about the city’s economic outlook for 2026, while forecasting that growth this year will accelerate to 3.2 per cent, surpassing earlier projections.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the optimistic outlook was mainly supported by anticipated growth in mainland China and Asia, along with interest rate cuts.
But 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 in his Sunday blog post.
Chan 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.
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.