Sylvia Chang
In a hotel lobby on Hong Kong Island, a delivery robot pauses outside one of the lifts as the doors open, and a guest steps out. The robot waits, and then rolls neatly inside.
The move looks simple, but it isn't. To work in the busy hotel, owned by an international chain, the robot must navigate a building that won't slow down for it.
People are often getting in the way, and it must be able to take the lift to the correct floor, and then find the right room.
The company behind the robot, Yunji, is a mainland Chinese tech business that is aiming to use Hong Kong as a springboard for successful overseas expansion.
"We aim to make our product succeed in Hong Kong, and then expand outward," says the firm's vice-president, Xie Yunpeng.
Hong Kong is becoming increasingly important to such mainland Chinese tech companies as a place to raise money, test products with international clients, and build credibility for overseas expansion.
This matters because US and European nations have grown more wary of such Chinese companies. Dubbed "China risk" by some commentators, countries fear state-led espionage and excessive Chinese domination of their tech sectors.
For mainland Chinese tech firms it means they are finding access to capital, customers and trust harder to secure in some international markets. So, they are instead looking to Hong Kong in the first instance.
Last year, the number of mainland Chinese firms listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange increased to 76, up from 30 in 2024, an increase of 153%, according to a report by accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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