CE leads delegation to continue visit to Qatar (with photos/videos)

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     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (May 12) led a business delegation comprising representatives from Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises to continue its visit programme to Qatar. He met with local government and business leaders to promote Hong Kong’s advantages and opportunities, and witnessed the achievement of multiple outcomes between government departments, enterprises and organisations of Hong Kong, the Mainland and Qatar, including the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). He also inspected an autonomous vehicle system in Qatar.

     In the morning, Mr Lee met with the Minister of Labour of Qatar, Dr Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, to discuss plans on enhancing talent exchanges between Hong Kong and Qatar, with a view to promoting cultural exchanges and communication between the two places. Noting that Hong Kong is home to five of the world's top 100 universities and is actively developing into an international hub for post-secondary education, Mr Lee highlighted that Hong Kong offers a Belt and Road Scholarship to encourage students from Belt and Road countries or regions to pursue post-secondary studies in the city. This initiative aims to attract more outstanding non-local students and talent to Hong Kong. He welcomed more young people of Qatar to study and develop their careers in Hong Kong.

     After that, Mr Lee and the delegation attended a roundtable meeting with representatives of the Qatari Businessmen Association and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry respectively. Highlighting Hong Kong’s robust legal system, resilient financial system and simple and low tax regime, Mr Lee welcomed Qatari enterprises to capitalise on Hong Kong's advantages in connecting with both the Mainland and the world under the “one country, two systems” principle. Qatari enterprises can also leverage Hong Kong’s high-quality financial, logistics and professional services, as well as its bridging roles to assist enterprises in going global and attracting external investment, tapping into business opportunities on the Mainland market.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lee attended a business luncheon co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Addressing the luncheon, Mr Lee introduced Hong Kong's development opportunities and business advantages to over 300 local political and business representatives. Noting that the Middle East is a key region under the Belt and Road Initiative, Mr Lee said this marks his second visit to the Middle East since taking office, and that he was very pleased to see the continuous strengthening of ties and co-operation between Hong Kong and the region. Pointing out that Qatar is Hong Kong's third-largest trading partner in the Middle East region, Mr Lee announced that Hong Kong and Qatar had substantially concluded negotiations on the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, and would begin discussions on mutual recognition arrangements for their respective Authorized Economic Operator Programmes, creating a more favourable environment for flows of capital and goods. He also announced a new arrangement allowing Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders to visit Qatar visa-free for up to 30 days. He said he looks forward to further deepening co-operation with Qatar in such areas as economy and trade, tourism, and culture. He said that Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises complement each other’s strengths, and that Hong Kong will continue to play its bridging role to serve enterprises in going global and attracting external investment, with a view to deepening international exchanges and co-operation. Hong Kong and Qatar can jointly seize the significant development opportunities brought by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.

     During the luncheon, government departments, enterprises, and institutions from Hong Kong, the Mainland and Qatar exchanged and announced 35 MOUs and co-operation agreements covering economic co-operation, investment, technology, legal collaboration, as well as finance, banking, and capital market development. In addition to the co-operation between Hong Kong and Qatar, two agreements were signed directly between Mainland and Qatari enterprises to foster co-operation in financial services and high-end manufacturing. Furthermore, a tripartite agreement was signed among Hong Kong, the Mainland, and Qatar to strengthen co-operation in fintech, covering Web3 and AI, leveraging the respective technological strengths of each region for mutual development.

     Afterwards, Mr Lee visited Hamad International Airport in Doha to learn about the operation and effectiveness of its autonomous vehicle pilot project and to examine the application of autonomous buses. The pilot project, which had participation by a Chinese enterprise, UISEE, set a precedent for applying autonomous driving technology at airports in the Middle East region. UISEE is one of the leading companies in autonomous driving technology on the Mainland, having established its international headquarters in Hong Kong as a springboard to expand its business globally. The company collaborated with Hong Kong International Airport on autonomous vehicle projects to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of airport logistics, drawing on the successful experiences to promote the technology to the international market. Hamad International Airport, which is the latest pilot site of UISEE, demonstrated the co-operation among Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Qatar.

     Mr Lee and the delegation will depart for Kuwait tonight.

Ends/Monday, May 12, 2025
Issued at HKT 23:58

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