Year on year growth rate of 17.5% - Hong Kong's total merchandise trade is expected to experience strong growth in 2025; The global commodity trade ranking has risen to fifth place, further consolidating Hong Kong's position as an international trade center. At the beginning of this month, the World Trade Organization released the "Global Trade Outlook and Statistics" report. In the past year, Hong Kong's commodity trade ranking has risen against the trend, and the results are encouraging. In contrast, commercial service trade ranks 22nd. The ranking gap between goods and services reflects the deep structural characteristics and development potential of Hong Kong's trade. Industry insiders believe that the key to promoting stable and sustainable development of Hong Kong's trade lies in playing the roles of "super contacts" and "super value-added personnel". More than 90% of Hong Kong's re export trade is interconnected with domestic and foreign advantages. A unique report shows that re export remains the cornerstone of Hong Kong's foreign trade. By 2025, the re export value of Hong Kong's commodity trade will reach 706 billion US dollars, accounting for over 93% of the total export value. Hong Kong economist and director of the Silk Road Wisdom Valley Research Institute, Leung Hoi ming, pointed out that Hong Kong itself is a highly outward oriented economy with outstanding advantages in re export trade, accounting for a relatively high proportion of the total export value. This indirectly reflects that Hong Kong's position as an important re export platform in mainland China is still stable. As a "super link" connecting mainland China and the world, Hong Kong's trade has risen against the trend, confirming the strong resilience of China's foreign trade. According to statistics from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Trade and Industry Department, over 80% of Hong Kong's re export trade is directly related to mainland China. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the total import and export value of China's goods trade will reach RMB 45.47 trillion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%, continuing to maintain its position as the world's largest country in goods trade. Shi Ronghuai, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the Hong Kong Beijing Association, believes that the close economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and the mainland have enabled Hong Kong to directly absorb the growth dividends of mainland foreign trade and become a key springboard for the export of high value-added goods from the mainland. This is the core foundation for the leap in Hong Kong's trade scale. Hong Kong's rise to the fifth largest commodity trading economy in the world not only confirms the success of 'One Country, Two Systems', but also reflects the irreplaceable value of Hong Kong's' reliance on the motherland and connectivity with the world'. ”Shi Ronghuai said. The rise in Hong Kong's trade ranking is also a microcosm of the restructuring of the global trade pattern. According to Huang Qingqing, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Malaysia Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong's global commodity trade ranking has surpassed the UK and Japan to enter the top five globally, indicating a shift in the global trade focus towards the Asia Pacific region. "Relying on its geographical advantages, Hong Kong has become an important hub connecting the Asia Pacific and the world, and its ranking jump is the inevitable result of reshaping the global trade pattern." Qiu Yinghua, Director of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, believes that Hong Kong's ranking jump shows that the SAR Government has made certain achievements in expanding economic and trade networks, developing emerging markets, and promoting Hong Kong's participation in the construction of the "the Belt and Road". Qiu Yinghua stated in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that facing uncertainties such as geopolitical conflicts and external tariff policies, exploring emerging markets is beneficial for effectively diversifying risks. The SAR government is actively seeking emerging markets and exploring more opportunities in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Industry insiders believe that with the promotion of the diversification strategy of the Hong Kong market, its trade structure is accelerating transformation, and a diversified trade pattern with mainland China as the basic base and ASEAN and the global South as the growth poles is accelerating to form. In recent years, the economic and trade cooperation between Hong Kong and ASEAN countries has become increasingly close, and bilateral trade has flourished. According to data from the Trade and Industry Department of the Special Administrative Region Government, the average annual growth rate of trade between Hong Kong and ASEAN countries from 2021 to 2025 is 7.6%. By 2025, ASEAN will be Hong Kong's second largest trading partner, accounting for 15.3% of Hong Kong's global merchandise trade volume. Looking at the world, Hong Kong's economic and trade layout continues to expand, and its "circle of friends" is constantly expanding. At present, Hong Kong has signed free trade agreements with 21 economies, investment agreements with 33 economies, and has 15 economic and trade offices overseas. Industry insiders believe that to promote sustainable growth of Hong Kong's trade, Hong Kong should rely on the advantages of a free port, extend to the high-end of the trade value chain, focus on developing high value-added trade services, and play the role of a "super value-added person" by anchoring new coordinates and becoming a good "super value-added person". To achieve this goal, Hong Kong urgently needs to accelerate the filling of digital gaps and enhance the development level of service trade. Deng Xiwei, Vice Dean of the School of Economics and Management at the University of Hong Kong, pointed out that the lagging digital construction still hinders Hong Kong's transformation from a traditional transit port to a high value-added digital trade hub. The report shows that by 2025, Hong Kong's total commercial trade in services will be 211 billion US dollars, accounting for only 1.2% of the global share. Compared to the global share of 3% in commodity trade, Hong Kong's service trade still holds enormous potential for development. Experts suggest that promoting the digital transformation of Hong Kong's trade can prioritize the development of digital trade platforms and lower the threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in global trade; On this basis, strengthen the collection and analysis of trade big data to provide more accurate decision support and market information for enterprises. At the same time, we should continue to promote the deep integration of modern service industries such as trade, finance, law, and technology. Qiu Yinghua introduced that in recent years, the SAR government has continuously implemented policies around the development of service trade, actively promoted the construction of regional intellectual property trade centers, helped the tourism industry recover, and continuously consolidated its position as an international arbitration center. The comprehensive effects of policies will continue to manifest in long-term development. In the outline of the 15th Five Year Plan, the state explicitly supports Hong Kong in building a commodity trading ecosystem and a high value-added supply chain service center, anchoring a new strategic coordinate for Hong Kong's trade. Qiu Yinghua stated that building a high value-added supply chain service center can leverage the advantages of the Hong Kong platform to provide professional services such as legal, accounting, and certification for mainland enterprises to "go global", and assist enterprises in conducting offshore trade. Hong Kong's developed financial system, free and convenient capital flow, and internationally recognized common law system can provide solid support for mainland enterprises to expand into overseas markets. Strengthening the function of "super value-added personnel" is not only an inevitable choice for Hong Kong to consolidate its traditional advantages in the changing situation, but also a strategic leap for it to serve the country and reshape its global competitiveness. With the unique advantage of "relying on the motherland and connecting the world", the deepening of market diversification strategy, and the determination to continue moving towards high value-added fields, this century old trade port will surely ride the wave of global economic pattern changes and create a new situation. (New Society)