There are broad prospects for further cooperation between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and its largest trading partner in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, which is an important commercial and logistics hub connecting China and Europe, the SAR’s chief executive said on Wednesday.
John Lee Ka-chiu made the statement when he met Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev at Government House to exchange views on deepening cooperation between the two places.
Bozumbayev is leading a delegation to Hong Kong for the Alatau City Investment Round Table scheduled to take place on Thursday.
Recalling his recent trip to Central Asia, the Hong Kong leader said he met Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and two Kazakh deputy prime ministers, establishing high-level liaison between the governments.
Thanking the Kazakh government for the high-level hospitality and meticulous arrangements for the visit, he said the two sides signed eight cooperation documents at the government level and 53 cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding beyond the government level in areas such as trade and economic cooperation, investment, finance, technology and aviation.
Saying that he was delighted to follow up on the outcomes with Bozumbayev, Lee said he looks forward to continuous deepening of cooperation in the future.
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The multiple outcomes achieved during the visit demonstrate Hong Kong’s role as a functional platform for the Belt and Road Initiative, as the SAR plays its roles as a superconnector and super value-adder, he said.
With the launch of direct flights from Hong Kong to Kazakh city of Almaty in the first quarter of 2027, people-to-people exchanges between the two places will become even more frequent, he added.
Wishing complementary advantages and coordinated development for both the Hong Kong SAR and Kazakhstan, the CE welcomed enterprises in Kazakhstan to make good use of the city’s premier financial, innovation and technology platforms and its world-leading professional services, to explore business opportunities.
The HKSAR, at the same time, will further help local and Chinese mainland enterprises to go global and discover opportunities, venturing into a new blue ocean in Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Lee added.
