The number of Hong Kong-listed Chinese mainland firms has grown to 470 from 0 over the past 16 years, a senior financial official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said on June 18,2009.

Financial Secretary John Tsang said Hong Kong is playing a vital role as a capital formation center for mainland enterprises.

"In the past decade or so, we have seen a much broader range of companies listing on our stock market," Tsang said, citing the first Hong Kong listing of a mainland enterprise in 1993.

More than half of the Hang Seng Index constituents were from the mainland now.

The HKSAR government is engaged in ongoing discussions with the relevant parties in Beijing and across the mainland to further strengthen financial co-operation, he added.

Source:Xinhua