HONG KONG accounts for about half of the big investors in Tianjin, where the more than 6,000 foreign-funded joint venture projects approved last year were valued at US$4.27 billion.
The figures are a measure of the growth of Tianjin, which is one of China's largest cities.
The city is attracting investors from Japan, the United States, Singapore and Taiwan, as well as Hong Kong.
It is one of three big centres controlled directly by the central government in Beijing and enjoys the fruits of the relationship - one drawcard for investors.
Another reason the city is popular with overseas businesses is that it has a formidable industrial base and a modern container port. Its infrastructure would be hard to match elsewhere on the mainland.
Tianjin's fortunes have increased due, in part, to the completion of the Beijing/Tianjin/Tanggu highway.