Former leader says Hong Kong can leverage market forces for rapid growth and urges city to develop services for emerging aerospace industry
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenMatthew ChengPublished: 12:49pm, 21 Jun 2026Hong Kong is the only place in China capable of replicating the financing model of US tech giant SpaceX, which leverages market forces to grow rapidly, former leader Leung Chun-ying has said, urging the city to develop professional services for the emerging aerospace industry.
Earlier this month, SpaceX’s record-breaking initial public offering (IPO) raised US$85.7 billion, making its chief executive Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.
“Elon Musk leveraged the highly market-oriented economy of the US and the power of a capitalist society to pool the country’s capital, talent, and technology in a short period of time,” Leung told a radio programme on Sunday.
“Among all cities in our country, which one possesses such a capitalist market force to adopt a model akin to Elon Musk’s? It is Hong Kong.”
Leung stressed that Hong Kong was well-positioned to develop professional services to support the growth of the aerospace and shipping sectors, including legal, insurance, and financing services.
