Chan, who’s currently in Beijing, revealed in his weekly article on Sunday that he had visited a leading pop cultural entertainment firm to learn more about the incubation of cultural and creative intellectual property (IP) products.
He noted the enormous potential of the creative industry, saying IP rights holders can ride on the popularity of their products to develop toys, theme parks and even catering services.
“Apart from meeting actual needs of the consumers, these IP products also focus on giving them a joyful experience,” he wrote.
Chan believed Hong Kong remains the ideal location for mainland companies looking to expand abroad, citing the city’s advantages in sourcing capital, abundance of talent and professional services, and free flow of information.
“Developing IP and extending it to different industries, this creates tremendous value. The mainland has a very rich culture, and is highly creative. Hong Kong can be a platform, and help mainland companies go global. We are very willing to do that,” he told the company in Beijing.
Hong Kong’s creative industry workers, he added, not only understand the mainland market, but also possess global vision and are able to create content which resonates with the public.
Citing his latest Budget, the finance chief said the SAR government will support over 30 cultural IP projects in the next five years.
The Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, meanwhile, will expand the scope of its target companies to bring in more creative firms that integrate innovation and technology, he said.
