Hong Kong offers a rare combination for a trading company. General merchandise moves in and out without customs tariff. There are no exchange controls, so funds move in the currency the trade actually needs. Company formation and reporting are straightforward, the legal system is common law and well understood by international counterparties, and the banking sector has handled trade documentation for a very long time.
None of that is exotic or aggressive. It is simply a jurisdiction where the mechanics of international trade meet less friction than in most places — which is why we anchor re-export flows, bonded staging and cross-currency settlement here rather than elsewhere, and why we are candid that the advantage is administrative rather than a matter of tax cleverness.
Harbour Strategies (HK) Limited · 10 October 2023
Editorial commentary by Harbour Strategies. Figures and regulatory details should be verified against primary sources before being relied upon.
