Chinese social media giant RedNote has opened an office in Hong Kong, its first outside mainland China, a move the city’s finance chief hopes will provide a boost to local businesses and the platform’s international expansion.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Saturday that he had personally invited the company, also known as Xiaohongshu, to set up a base in the city.

“When I visited Shanghai at the end of last year, I made a special visit to Xiaohongshu’s headquarters,” Chan wrote on social media.

“I was deeply impressed by the team’s youthful vitality and innovative spirit, and I invited them to Hong Kong to use it as a base to develop their international business.”

Chan was officiating an opening ceremony, where he said the company’s presence in Hong Kong would foster closer connections with the city’s community, offering new perspectives and channels for local businesses in product design, marketing and promotion.

He added that Hong Kong’s status as an international hub could help the company grow its business and expand its global footprint.