HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government welcomes Google's announcement of its plan to build a data center in Hong Kong on Wednesday, saying it believes that Google could leverage Hong Kong's competitive edge to further enhance its business in the region.

The Government Chief Information Officer Stephen Mak said Hong Kong is again chosen by a multinational enterprise for setting up data center facilities. This reaffirms the city's status as the prime location for data centers in the region.

Mak said Hong Kong has significant advantages for developing as a regional data center hub, including a favorable business environment, free flow of information, sound information technology infrastructure and reliable power supply.

According to the Data Center Risk Index jointly published by consulting firms Cushman & Wakefield and hurleypalmerflatt in June this year, Hong Kong is the place with the least risk in Asia for setting up data centers, and ranks fourth among the 20 economies surveyed.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer established a Data Center Facilitation Unit and launched a dedicated portal in July this year to facilitate the development of more high-tier data centers in Hong Kong.