A large high-level business delegation led by John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), today (June 5) wrapped up its five-day visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, achieving fruitful results in strengthening bilateral relations and deepening ties with Central Asia. The delegation of over 70 business and institutional leaders from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland is the largest and most diverse overseas mission led by the current term of the HKSAR Government so far.
Speaking to the media in Uzbekistan on June 4, Mr Lee set out the three main objectives of the visit: further explore emerging markets and lay the foundation for long-term economic and trade development; strengthen government-to-government (G2G) relationships and promote closer bilateral co-operation; and build a "hub-to-hub" model of co-operation. He said the visit had been successful, yielding achievements in eight areas, including establishing high-level contacts and reaching consensus on co-operation in multiple areas.
A total of 96 co-operation agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were reached during the visit (61 with Kazakhstan, 35 with Uzbekistan), involving specific amounts exceeding US$1.65 billion in total. The governments agreed to commence bilateral discussions on agreements in various areas, deepening project matching and research collaboration between Hong Kong and Central Asia in finance, innovation and technology (I&T), and aviation. The visit also demonstrated Hong Kong's effective role as a platform for going global, with Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises joining forces to tap new markets.
Other achievements include facilitating more convenient people-to-people exchanges by promoting direct flights, aviation and transport co-operation, and extensions to the mutual visa-free period. The two sides also advanced a hub-to-hub co-operation model to open up broader room for co-operation between Hong Kong and Central Asia. While in Tashkent from June 3 to 5, Mr Lee met with local leaders, including President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to deepen co-operation in trade, investment, finance, I&T, and people-to-people exchanges.
Mr Lee highlighted that under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. He said Hong Kong would continue to play its roles as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" to further deepen co-operation with Uzbekistan. On June 3, Mr Lee and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan witnessed an exchange of notes on a mutual visa-free arrangement allowing a 30-day visa-free period for visitors from both sides. "Moreover, we are glad to have initialed the Air Services Agreement with Uzbekistan, and look forward to launching direct passenger flights between the two places soon," Mr Lee said during a high-level business dinner on June 4.
The Chief Executive pointed out that Hong Kong and Uzbekistan are important trade and investment gateways to their respective regions – the Asia-Pacific and Central Asia. "It helps that we are all believers in the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, a modern expression of the ancient Silk Road spirit," Mr Lee said. "Today, China is Uzbekistan's largest trading partner, and the two countries work closely on major infrastructure and connectivity projects that are revitalising the Silk Road. Hong Kong is a pivotal player in the B&R Initiative, thanks to our world-class professional and financial services expertise." The delegation also toured the IT Park Uzbekistan and the Center for Islamic Civilization before concluding its visit.
