Finance chief says bilateral trade surged in first five months of 2026 following deepening of ties over recent years
Capital from the Gulf region is showing signs of flowing into Asia, Hong Kong’s finance chief has said, as bilateral trade between the Middle East and the city rose by 35 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2026.
While trade between the Gulf states and Hong Kong had risen by about 5 per cent last year, the figure was up 35 per cent year on year in the first five months of this year, he added.
In particular, Chan highlighted that bilateral trade between the city and the United Arab Emirates had soared by more than 52 per cent over the same period.
“In terms of capital flows, Gulf sovereign wealth funds previously invested mainly in American and European markets. However, of their tens of billions of US dollars allocated globally last year, about 40 per cent flowed into Asia,” he said.
“This reflects a clear shift in their asset allocation, with a diversified asset allocation strategy gradually taking shape.”