香港是新興國際創業中心 The start up landscape

Hong Kong bills itself as “Asia’s world city” and the boast is justified. The cosmopolitan territory was returned to mainland Chinese control in 1997 but remains autonomous: it presents itself to the world as a link to China that has a separate legal system and financial regulation. After finance, the property, retail and leisure sectors dominate activity.

香港號稱“亞洲的國際都會”，這種自許是有道理的。1997年這個國際化都市的主權迴歸中國，但仍保持自治，它將自己定位於世界與中國之間的一座橋樑帶，擁有獨立的司法體系和金融監管機制。除了金融業以外，香港的主要經濟活動還包括房地產、零售和休閒業。

The case for: English is the lingua franca in business, law and the professional sectors. The city has excellent infrastructure and transparent regulation, and setting up a bank account is easy. It also has a pool of highly skilled workers, thanks to academic institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, which ranks 28th globally. A low income tax rate, warm climate and high standard of living attract talent from around the world.

正面依據：英語是香港商業、法律和各專業部門的通用語。這座城市擁有優良的基礎設施和透明的監管，開設銀行賬號也很方便。香港還擁有大量高技能人才，得益於當地的學術機構，比如全球排名28位的香港大學(University of Hong Kong)。此外，較低的所得稅率，溫暖的氣候和較高生活水平都吸引着世界各地的人才。

Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the big cities of south China’s manufacturing heartland, can be reached by train within a couple of hours.

從香港乘火車到廣州和深圳——華南地區製造業中心的兩大城市——僅需兩小時。

The case against: The political system and Hong Kong’s future have become more complex over the past year. In 2014, widespread protests brought many districts to a standstill as protesters held sit-in demonstrations to oppose a Chinese plan for electoral reform in the territory. Opposition lawmakers rejected the Beijing-backed reform package, but the scale of the protests shook the territory.

反面依據：過去一年，香港的政治制度和未來走向變得更爲複雜。2014年，大量抗議活動令許多地區陷入停頓，示威者舉行靜坐示威，反對中央爲這個特別行政區安排的選舉改革。反對派議員最終否決了北京方面的改革方案，但抗議活動的規模震撼全港。

High rents are a perennial challenge for businesses and for their employees finding somewhere to live. However, rents are forecast to dip because of a corruption crackdown and the slowing Chinese economy.

對於企業以及尋覓住所的企業員工而言，香港的高租金是一個永久挑戰。不過由於內地打擊貪腐和經濟增長放緩，本地租金預計將小幅下降。

Support for start-ups: The Hong Kong government is supportive, and runs funding schemes for technology start-ups and those that focus on reducing poverty, in particular. InvestHK, the official foreign direct investment body, launched the StartmeupHK festival last year. A week-long event, it awards prizes to nascent businesses and features talks such as how to pitch to investors. The next festival is in January.

對初創企業的支持：香港政府持支持態度，尤其是面向高科技和專注減少貧困的初創企業運行資金計劃。香港投資推廣署(InvestHK)是統籌外國直接投資的官方機構，去年推出StartmeupHK Festival。在這個爲期一週的活動期間，除了向新興企業頒獎外，還安排了一些演講，包括怎樣向投資者推介自己的企業。下一次活動將在明年1月舉行。

Nest provides seed capital and mentoring, to start-ups with potential for fast growth. Headquartered in Hong Kong, it is open to businesses from anywhere in the world but looks for “businesses driven by talented entrepreneurs based in Asia”.

Nest對有快速增長潛力的初創公司提供種子資金和輔導。該機構總部設在香港，向世界各地的企業開放，但它的目標是“立足亞洲，由優秀企業家經營的企業”。

Local hero: Snaptee, which launched in 2012, is an app and a retailer and enables customers to turn photos into T-shirt designs. They can then buy the finished item of clothing or sell it to others. Last September the company raised US$750,000 from investors to help it expand in Japan and the US.

本地英雄：於2012年成立的Snaptee集應用(app)與零售商於一體，客戶可以用這款應用將照片變成T恤設計，然後可以購買或向別人出售服裝成品。去年9月該公司從投資者籌到75萬美元，用於在日本和美國擴展業務。

Getting there: The Hong Kong International Airport, regularly voted among the world’s best, is used by more than 100 airlines operating flights to about 50 destinations in mainland China. There are eight direct flights between London and Hong Kong every day, and four between San Francisco and Hong Kong.

交通：香港國際機場(Hong Kong International Airport)經常被評選爲全球最佳機場之一，有100多家航空公司在此運營，從這裏可直飛中國內地約50個目的地。每日有8個直飛航班往返倫敦與香港，4個航班往返舊金山與香港。