HONG KONG - Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Thursday that Hong Kong's uniqueness under "one country, two systems" makes it an ideal gateway for businesses and investment between the Chinese mainland and New Zealand.

Lam made the remarks when addressing more than 200 participants from the business community in New Zealand in a webinar organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney.

Hong Kong has been enjoying close ties with New Zealand over the years, with New Zealand in 2010 becoming the first foreign economy to enter into a free trade agreement with Hong Kong, Lam said.

Lam said that, driven by strong recovery in trade and the HKSAR government's continued investment, Hong Kong's economy in the first quarter of 2021 has rebounded strongly, recording year-on-year real growth of 7.8 percent and an increase of 5.3 percent over the preceding quarter.

As the epidemic situation is easing in Hong Kong, she said it is now an opportune time for New Zealand enterprises to establish a presence or expand their existing businesses in Hong Kong.

She said that with the relatively stable epidemic situation in New Zealand, the compulsory quarantine period for persons arriving in Hong Kong from New Zealand has been reduced from 21 days to 14 days since last month. She expressed hope that with the continued efforts of both places, facilitation of cross-border travel between the two places, such as through a travel bubble, can be further explored.