BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes businesses from across the world to operate in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and share the dividends of both the region's development and the policy of "one country, two systems," a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks in response to a related query at a daily news briefing.

Mao said that with the support of the central government, the HKSAR government in 2024 had forged ahead with a keen sense of responsibility and a pragmatic attitude, remained focused on economic development, strengthened exchanges and cooperation with the outside world, and continued to consolidate its sound momentum of stability and development.

The HKSAR was ranked as the world's freest economy and rose to the third place globally in Global Financial Centres Index in 2024, while total assets under management in this region last year had topped 4 trillion U.S. dollars, she said.

Mao also revealed that the HKSAR had recorded 44 million tourist arrivals in 2024, up 30 percent year on year. In addition, the HKSAR had attracted around 170,000 talents through its talent admission schemes last year. By the end of 2024, the total number of companies from China's mainland and overseas based in the region had amounted to nearly 10,000 while the number of startups was close to 4,700 -- both hitting new highs.

"We have full confidence in a better future for Hong Kong," Mao said.