Over the first half of 2021 as a whole, real GDP grew 7.8 per cent from the same period the previous year.

“Looking ahead, the global economic recovery should continue to support Hong Kong’s exports of goods in the near term, though there may be some moderation from the exceptionally strong performance in the first half of 2021. Exports of services should likewise sustain growth,” he said.

Exports of goods were robust – soaring 20.3 per cent over a year ago and surpassing the peak reached in the same period of 2018 – while imports were 21.4 per cent up on the same period last year, the spokesman said. But tourism remained in the doldrums due to the pandemic.

“Consumption-related activities improved further, but were still notably below their pre-recession levels. It is thus essential for the community to strive towards more widespread vaccination so as to pave the way for a broader based economic recovery,” he said.

Private consumption increased by 6.5 per cent over a year ago, compared with the 2.1 per increase in the first quarter, while government consumption grew by 2.9 per cent from a year ago.

“Overall investment expenditure saw accelerated growth amid improved business sentiment, though [it was] helped by a low base of comparison,” the spokesman said.

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The first three months of the year also marked an end to six straight quarters of economic decline stretching back to the second half of 2019.

The government has projected that full-year GDP would grow by between 3.5 per cent and 5.5 per cent, compared with a 6.1 per cent decline last year – the worst on record.

Last week, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po told the Post that the city’s economic recovery in the first quarter had spilled into the second, boosting the likelihood of upgrading the full-year GDP forecast to above that original forecast.

He also said Hong Kong’s economic prospects hinged on controlling the pandemic and reopening the border with mainland China as soon as possible.

The city’s unemployment rate also eased to 5.5 per cent in the three months to June – a level not seen in more than a year.

The scheme entitles eligible Hong Kong residents to HK$5,000 worth of e-vouchers, with the first instalment of HK$2,000 going out on Sunday.

The initiative is expected to contribute 0.7 per cent to the GDP this year, and Li said this would give investors “a shot in the arm” and help bring in more investments.

However, whether Hong Kong could make a full economic recovery depended on when it could reopen the border and resume international travel, she added.

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ING Bank Greater China economist Iris Pang said a boost to local consumption and the decline in unemployment rate would continue to contribute to local economic growth.

However, she warned that reopening the border with mainland China and the impact of Covid-19 variants were factors which could affect the city’s economic recovery.

“The most important thing is the reopening of the border with mainland China. Without any inflow of visitors the city’s retail sector can’t fully recover,” she said.

In late April, shortly before the end of the city’s fourth wave of coronavirus infections, the government rolled out its so-called vaccine bubble scheme, further easing social-distancing restrictions for certain businesses based on the inoculation status of their staff and customers.

Since the end of the fourth wave in May, Covid-19 infections have dropped sharply, with the city confirming no local cases for over 50 consecutive days.