HONG KONG, Nov. 18-- Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung said Tuesday the Shanghai--Hong Kong Stock Connect is an important measure to expand Hong Kong's financial market as the city will be gateway for bringing overseas capital into the Chinese mainland.

Leung said the stock through train scheme with Shanghai also boosts Hong Kong's role as an information center, as overseas institutional investors need to find out information about mainland markets and listed companies.

Leung added that further expanding the local financial market can also create job opportunities for young people.

On Monday, the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program was officially launched, giving investors mutual market access.