Hong Kong Police swaps Microsoft SharePoint for China's Seeyon in tech migration

Hong Kong’s technology landscape is undergoing a significant transformation as local government and businesses increasingly replace Western products with domestic alternatives from mainland China. A key example is the Hong Kong Police Force, which is replacing Microsoft SharePoint—a cloud-based platform for intranets and document management—with Seeyon software, a mainland Chinese alternative, in one division. Another department made the same switch in 2024, according to Stony Shi, Seeyon’s head of business for Asia-Pacific. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment, and the police cited operational reasons for not disclosing procurement specifics.

The shift is driven by fears over tightening US technology export controls targeting both mainland China and Hong Kong. Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, noted that over-reliance on Western 'black box' technology is now viewed as a strategic liability that could be deactivated or restricted at any time. While Hong Kong has no official policy mandating domestic tech adoption, the move aligns with Beijing's push for self-reliance and closer integration. This trend could reshape the region's digital infrastructure and impact global tech giants' market presence.