A business delegation led by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), John Lee, and organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), completed its first stop in Kazakhstan from 1 to 3 June and are now visiting Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the final leg of its Central Asia tour from 4 to 5 June. During the visit, the delegation met with senior representatives of the local government and business communities, successfully advancing collaboration opportunities across multiple sectors.The HKTDC will follow up on key projects facilitated during the visit by providing professional post-‘mission business matching and support services, with a view to expediting project implementation while continuing to assist Hong Kong enterprises in exploring further international cooperation opportunities.
The business delegation facilitated the signing of 66 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements during its visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, covering areas such as trade, investment, finance, technology and aviation. In addition, 15 cooperation agreements were signed at the government level, while non-delegation members signed 15 MoUs in areas including academia and culture, bringing the total number of agreements and MoUs signed to 96. These outcomes have laid a solid foundation for deepening economic and trade ties among Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, underscoring Hong Kong’s role as a key platform for Mainland enterprises to go global and further promoting long-term collaboration with Central Asian markets. Looking ahead, the parties look forward to welcoming more Central Asian enterprises to Hong Kong and HKTDC’s flagship international conferences and exhibitions, including the Belt and Road Summit and InnoEX, to capitalise on Hong Kong’s strengths as an international business and trading hub and further deepen cooperation.
During its stay in Uzbekistan, the delegation met with senior officials, trade bodies and business representatives, including the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade (MIIT) of Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, and IT Park Uzbekistan, to gain in-depth insights into the country’s economic developments, market environment and investment opportunities.
Summing up the Central Asia visit, Mr Lee said: “The purpose of this visit is threefold. First, to further explore emerging markets and lay a solid foundation for long-term economic and trade development. Second, to strengthen government-to-government relations and promote closer bilateral cooperation. Third, to establish a hub-to-hub cooperation model.
During the visit, I led a delegation of 75 business leaders from Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — the two largest economies among the five Central Asian countries. The delegation attended more than 20 events and inspected multiple projects in the finance, innovation and technology, and infrastructure sectors. The visit was highly successful and achieved eight major outcomes.”
Mr Lee held meetings with the Presidents, Prime Ministers and other senior officials of the two countries. Both sides agreed to strengthen high-level communication and pursue multi-faceted collaboration. The Government of Uzbekistan has agreed to establish a Consulate General in Hong Kong. In addition, multiple agreements were signed, including projects with substantial investment value.
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