Hong Kong Delegation Secures 96 Agreements with Central Asia, Bolstering Belt and Road Ties

HONG KONG—A high-level delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), led by Chief Executive John Lee, has returned from a six-day visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with 96 bilateral memoranda of understanding and agreements, signaling a significant deepening of ties between Central Asia, Hong Kong, and the Chinese Mainland. The delegation, comprising over 70 representatives from Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises across various sectors, secured 15 cooperation documents at the government level with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan respectively.

“The examples of agreements and co-operation are just so abundant that they range from the service sector to heavy industries such as mining and infrastructure development,” Lee said. “I think the sky is the limit.” The agreements span a wide array of sectors, from services to heavy industries, underscoring Hong Kong’s role as a functional platform for the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative. The city is actively positioning itself as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” to promote broader and deeper cooperation between the two regions and establish a hub-to-hub cooperation model.

Kazakhstan, as Hong Kong’s largest trading partner in Central Asia and the birthplace of the Belt and Road Initiative, offers broad prospects for further collaboration. “Kazakhstan is an important commercial and logistics hub connecting China and Europe. It is also the place where the Belt and Road Initiative was first proposed,” Lee noted. Similarly, Uzbekistan, located at the heart of the Asia-Europe corridor, presents opportunities in logistics, railway development, and cargo handling, where Hong Kong can complement and supplement Central Asian efforts.

During the visit, Lee encouraged Central Asian companies to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” principle. “Under this unique principle, Hong Kong has its own economic, social, legal, legislative and judicial systems. We are the only common law jurisdiction in China. We have our own currency, with no capital or foreign exchange controls. We are, as well, a separate customs territory,” Lee said. These attributes make Hong Kong an attractive gateway for Central Asian businesses seeking to access the Chinese Mainland and global markets.

Building on the delegation’s success, Lee welcomed Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev to Hong Kong on June 10 and both attended the Alatau City Investment Round Table on June 11. Speaking at the event, Lee outlined three concrete ways Hong Kong could contribute to the future success of Kazakhstan’s innovative, high-tech Alatau City: as a gateway to global capital; a gateway to the Chinese Mainland and the Greater Bay Area; and as a partner in talent and technology.

“We share a development vision with Alatau City and Kazakhstan. Today, right here, right now, is a golden opportunity to bring our two economies closer together,” Lee said. He expressed hope for complementary advantages and coordinated development across different sectors, encouraging Kazakh enterprises to utilize Hong Kong’s premier financial and innovation and technology platforms, as well as its world-leading professional services, to explore more business opportunities.

The outcomes of this mission underscore Hong Kong’s evolving role as a bridge between Central Asia and the broader Belt and Road network. With 96 agreements in hand, the city is poised to facilitate increased trade, investment, and collaboration, benefiting all parties involved. As Lee concluded, the potential for cooperation is vast, with opportunities spanning from service sectors to heavy industries, and Hong Kong is ready to play its part.

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