On 17 January 2020, the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (AU-HKFTA) came into force. One of the outcomes of the AU-HKFTA is that Hong Kong investors are now subject to higher monetary thresholds for foreign investment screening. For privately-owned Hong Kong investors, acquisitions of non-sensitive businesses and of developed commercial land will now be subject to a threshold of $1,192 million. Amendments have been made to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulation 2015 to give effect to this change.
Further information on the AU-HKFTA is available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website.