The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Kazakhstan signed seven memorandums of understanding on Monday across the fields of information technology and finance, marking a major milestone in economic engagement during the city’s largest trade mission to Central Asia, led by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

The signing ceremonies, held in Astana, the Kazakh capital, were attended by a high-profile delegation comprising 40 Hong Kong business and professional leaders and 30 representatives of Chinese mainland enterprises.

The seven-day itinerary, which began on Sunday, aims to deepen trade and business ties with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It also marks Lee’s first official visit to Central Asia.

Leading the delegation’s debut in Astana, Lee said the Central Asia visit has drawn high-level attention from both sides. He described the trip as a rare opportunity for the participating entrepreneurs, governments, and people.

He expressed hope that delegation members can capitalize on the opportunities presented by the visit, and work as a team to create a synergy that achieves “one plus one is greater than two”.

Among the enterprise-level agreements, Astana Hub, a large-scale international industrial park focused on IT projects, signed cooperation deals with Hong Kong Cyberport, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp, and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park. The agreements include strengthening cooperation in promoting market entry and providing soft-landing support for startups in Hong Kong, Central Asia, and beyond.

In the financial sector, the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) reached broad agreements with several Hong Kong counterparts, including business-to-business MOUs with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd, as well as a government-to-government MOU with Invest Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s official investment promotion agency.

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Lee received a high-level reception, including a luncheon hosted by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and a dinner given by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.

During his meeting with the president, Lee said that Hong Kong and Kazakhstan maintain close economic and trade ties, with broad prospects for cooperation. He said that Kazakhstan, where the Belt and Road Initiative was first proposed, remains Hong Kong’s largest trading partner in Central Asia.

Like Hong Kong, Kazakhstan is an important regional economic powerhouse and a gateway for trade. Hong Kong’s role as a super-connector between the mainland and international markets aligns with Kazakhstan’s goals of industrial transformation and economic diversification, he added.

Tokayev said, “This visit will undoubtedly give additional impetus to the development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Hong Kong SAR.” He expressed hope that the cooperation will extend to broader links between Kazakhstan and China, with whom Kazakhstan “shares relations of eternal comprehensive strategic partnership”, according to Kazakh international news agency Kazinform.

During the delegation’s visit to the Astana Hub, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev briefed delegates on the country’s IT development and startup landscape, including business opportunities in AI technologies.

At the AIFC, Hong Kong and mainland entrepreneurs outlined their financial strengths and pledged closer cooperation with Astana — and with each other — across sectors such as gold trading, mining and dairy production.

Frederick Ma Si-hang, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, told China Daily the visit “has been very successful so far” and enhanced mutual understanding between the two sides.

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Ma said the Kazakhstan authorities plan to hold a seminar and related events in Hong Kong in mid-June to showcase the country’s business opportunities.

The delegation will continue its visit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, before proceeding to Uzbekistan on Wednesday.