"Of course we are interested in the government projects," said Lai. "But if we want to participate in the government projects, we can always partner with the local SIs."

When commenting on the dilemma created from CISIQ, Chiu said it is also a concern for the Chinese government to open the IT industry too quickly and easily for Hong Kong companies.

"It's a chicken-and-egg issue. Since MII also has no idea [of] the quality of companies in Hong Kong, it will also take time for MII to build trust over the local SIs," he said. "When there are a number of local certified SIs, they will be more comfortable to treat the Hong Kong-registered CISIQ-certified SIs the same as those from the mainland."

Does CISIQ matter?

Despite the difference in business culture and expectations, he said the CISIQ is still a valuable investment to gain Chinese government-recognized certification.