HONG KONG - A record of 213 Chinese mainland and overseas companies have been set up or expanded in Hong Kong in the first half of this year, Invest Hong Kong said Thursday.

Invest Hong Kong's Investment Promotion Director-General Simon Galpin finds the interim results encouraging, saying the department is optimistic to meet the annual target of 330 projects this year as several markets show good growth.

"Our pipeline of prospects is strong, in particular from companies in Chinese mainland and the US which have signaled their intent to set up or expand in Hong Kong," he said.

The department will roll out a global marketing program, called "startmeup.hk", this month to encourage entrepreneur-led businesses to consider Hong Kong as the platform from which they can expand globally.

The 213 companies are from 33 countries. The mainland was the largest source of investment with 51 completed projects, followed by Japan with 26, the US and UK with 24 projects each, and France with 13.

For the first time, the department helped a Greek company to set up a business in Hong Kong, serving fast food.

Asia was the largest market source with 89 projects completed compared to 73 a year ago, followed by Europe and North America.

The companies span a range of businesses, including asset management, digital marketing, medical and healthcare and restaurant and wine-related businesses.