A delegation of business and trading enterprises – based in Northeast China's Jilin province – set off for Hong Kong on Jan 8, in a bid to attract investment, according to local media reports.

The delegation will lobby businesses and listed companies such as China Resources, China Merchants Group and Hang Lung. It will also promote 13 key projects in the fields of new energy, agricultural product processing, the food industry and in commercial logistics.

They are scheduled to visit business associations, including the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, the Chinese Manufacturers Association of Hong Kong, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

The goal will be to further consolidate existing contacts and comprehensively promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges, industrial ventures and cultural exchanges.

Prior to the trip, representatives from Jilin's commerce department went to South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to carry out commerce and trade exchanges.

Hong Kong has long been an important source of investment in Jilin province.

As of last September, there were 409 Hong Kong-invested enterprises operating in Jilin, ranking it first among sources of investment – both within China and from abroad – in the province. Their accumulated amount of direct investment stood at $8.54 billion, accounting for 32.2 percent of the province's foreign capital.