Led by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, the high-level Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delegation continued to proactively participate in the third Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation in Beijing today (October 18), with six government officials and nine non-official delegation members speaking or moderating at nine parallel forums respectively. All members of the delegation also respectively attended the nine parallel forums for full participation in the events of the Forum.
      
     Mr Lee, together with the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Chairman of John Swire & Sons (HK), Mr Guy Bradley, attended the opening ceremony of the Forum this morning.
      
     Under the theme of "High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity", the Forum featured nine parallel forums this afternoon, namely three high-level forums focusing on connectivity, green development and digital economy, and six thematic forums covering trade connectivity, people-to-people connectivity, think tank exchanges, clean silk road, sub-national co-operation and maritime co-operation.
      
     Speaking at the high-level forum on connectivity, Mr Lee briefed the participants on Hong Kong's work in and contribution to enhancing "hard connectivity" in infrastructure as well as "soft connectivity" in regulations and standards.
      
     Mr Lee said that under "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support from the country and being closely connected to the world, and has all along served as a two-way platform between the country and Belt and Road countries, as well as a key link for the Belt and Road and global investment, business and trade. He pointed out that in addition to providing an important channel for connectivity of capital under the Belt and Road Initiative (B&RI), Hong Kong also serves as a premier gateway for passengers and goods from all over the world to the Mainland and vice versa. At the same time, Hong Kong is committed to promoting "soft connectivity", including connectivity in professional services and people-to-people bond.
      
     He said that the HKSAR would strive to strengthen bilateral and multilateral economic and trade relations with Belt and Road countries, with a view to further enhancing the connectivity between the country and the world.
      
     In his speech delivered at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation, Mr Lee highlighted regional co-operation as an integral part of the concerted effort to develop the Belt and Road, and elaborated on how Hong Kong promotes co-operation on various fronts. These included actively promoting in-depth integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the B&RI, and joining hands with other GBA cities in pursuing high-level regional co-operation; signing free trade agreements with 20 economies and investment agreements with 31 economies around the world; striving to seek for early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to deepen regional economic collaboration; signing memoranda of understanding on cultural co-operation with Belt and Road partner countries to foster arts and cultural exchanges; encouraging co-operation in education and training through the Belt and Road Scholarship and the Scheme for Subsidy on Exchange to Belt and Road Regions for Post-secondary Students; as well as proactively mobilising the professional forces to collaborate with Belt and Road counterparts in training.
      
     A Hong Kong Chapter moderated by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, was featured at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation. Mr Lam was joined by the Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Nicholas Ho; Member of the Chief Executive's Council of Advisers Dr Allan Zeman; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Dr Peter Lam; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr Pang Yiu-kai; and the Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Mr Nicolas Aguzin, in sharing with the participants Hong Kong's strengths in international legal and dispute resolution services, business environment and financing, as well as the latest developments in the participation and contribution of the younger generation in Hong Kong in the B&RI, Hong Kong's assistance for enterprises in tapping business opportunities, and the work of Hong Kong's professional services in promoting people-to-people bond along the Belt and Road.
      
     Mr Chan and the President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Professor Nancy Ip, respectively spoke at the high-level forum on green development and the high-level forum on digital economy. Mr Paul Lam and the Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Mr Woo Ying-ming, spoke at the thematic forum on clean silk road while the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, and Mr Bradley spoke at the thematic forum on maritime co-operation. Meanwhile, the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council and Co-Chair of Maritime Silk Road Society, Mrs Regina Ip, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, spoke at the thematic forums on think tank exchanges and trade connectivity respectively. The Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Mr Kenneth Fok, moderated at the thematic forum on people-to-people bond.
      
     Mr Lee and the delegation will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (October 19).

Ends/Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Issued at HKT 19:00

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