The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, proceeded to Tbilisi, Georgia, from Türkiye to attend the 5th Tbilisi Silk Road Forum on October 22 (Tbilisi time).

     The Forum brought together over 2 000 delegates from more than 60 countries, including heads of state, ministers and global chief executive officers, as well as international organisation and thought leaders to strengthen East-West co-operation and foster practical solutions for regional and global connectivity challenges.

     At a panel session entitled "Rewiring global trade", Mr Yau shared with participants Hong Kong's multifaceted approach to overcome challenges and leverage new opportunities when the world is undergoing profound geopolitical shifts, with protectionism, unilateralism and supply chain realignments reshaping the global trade flows.

     He said that Hong Kong's extensive network of free trade agreements (FTAs) and economic partnerships has been instrumental in mitigating the geopolitical impacts on trade. So far Hong Kong has signed nine FTAs with 21 economies, including 14 Belt and Road countries, and 24 investment promotion and protection agreements with 33 economies. He highlighted that since the FTA signed between Hong Kong and Georgia entered into force in 2019, there has been a steady growth in bilateral merchandise trade between the two places, with an average annual growth rate of 8.7 per cent recorded between 2019 and 2024.

     Mr Yau noted that apart from changes in the global trade regime, regulatory fragmentation and logistical bottlenecks also obstruct trade flows. He said that Hong Kong has always strived to facilitate trade by improving customs clearance procedures and is also launching the Trade Single Window to digitalise the submission of trade documents.

     Turning to digitalisation, Mr Yau stressed that a robust and well-established framework for digital infrastructure is also essential for embracing transformation. Over the past years, Hong Kong has been actively advancing reforms in the digitalisation of enterprises and trade. He added that specifically, Hong Kong has been fostering international community participation in discussions on the development of the digital economy and exploring the inclusion of relevant provisions in bilateral trade agreements during negotiations, aiming to promote digital trade and cross-border e-commerce.

     In addition to attending the Forum, Mr Yau also took the opportunity to meet with Georgia's business sector to promote Hong Kong's favourable business environment during his visit to the country.

     Mr Yau held a business roundtable with local wine practitioners to brief them on Hong Kong's advantages as a wine and liquor trading hub, and the city's reduction of liquor duty by introducing a two-tier liquor duty system to encourage the trade and auctions of high-end liquor. They also exchanged views on exploring further collaboration between the two places on wine and liquor promotion, using Hong Kong as a platform for Georgian wine merchants to tap into the Chinese Mainland market.

     Mr Yau also met with representatives of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to brief them on Hong Kong's latest developments and various initiatives to attract investment and drive economic developments, such as the Northern Metropolis development and the setting up of the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to assist Mainland enterprises in expanding business overseas. He highlighted Hong Kong's unique role as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" and encouraged Georgian enterprises to grasp the vast business opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area via Hong Kong.

     Upon arrival in Tbilisi on October 21 (Tbilisi time), Mr Yau attended the welcome reception of the Forum during which he had exchanges with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Georgia, Mr Zhou Qian, to give him an update on the latest economic and trade developments of Hong Kong and learn more about the social and economic situation of Georgia.

     Mr Yau will proceed to Beijing on October 23 (Tbilisi time) to join a delegation to be led by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, for a visit.

Ends/Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Issued at HKT 20:35

NNNN