Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang will begin a nine-day visit to four European capitals on Monday to promote business and investment opportunities for Hong Kong.

During his trip to London, Berlin, Prague and Dublin, Tsang will also update government and business leaders on recent developments in Hong Kong.

"Britain and Germany are Hong Kong's two largest trading partners in Europe, while Ireland and the Czech Republic are quickly rising in international stature," Tsang said.

"My main message will be Hong Kong's strong economic recovery and the new era of opportunity that has opened up for European companies as a result of our greater economic interactivity with the mainland and the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA)," said Tsang.

"With the world's attention focused on the mainland's rapid progress, it is timely to remind Europeans about Hong Kong's many strengths and advantages as a platform for doing business in China, and as a leading financial and services hub for Asia. I'm also eager to tell them about the new Pan-Pearl River Delta co-operation forum, which brings together a fledgling common market the size of the newly expanded European Union," he said.

It will be Tsang's first visit to Germany, the Czech Republic and Ireland in his capacity as Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration.