Key facts
- Hong Kong is the world's largest wholesale electronics trading hub by value.
- The city handles over $50 billion in mobile-related re-exports annually.
- Sham Shui Po is a key district for sourcing used phones and parts.
- Mong Kok's Sin Tat Plaza is a hub for finished new and used phones.
A new pavilion focused on second-hand smartphones has launched at a Hong Kong trade show, aiming to establish the city as a key export hub for used devices. The Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion, co-hosted by the Hong Kong International Communications Electronic Chamber and Global Sources, opened Sunday at AsiaWorld-Expo.
The initiative seeks to attract international recycling platforms, refurbishers, and automated kiosk operators. Hong Kong's status as the world's largest wholesale electronics hub, its free-port status, and its proximity to Shenzhen's manufacturing base are seen as crucial advantages for this trade.
Key trading districts like Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok are central to sourcing and distributing used phones and components, facilitating onward flows to markets in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.