SFST meets delegation led by Minister of Finance of Laos (with photos)
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"I am glad to meet Mr Phomvihane again after my visit to Laos at the end of 2023. Mr Phomvihane comes here with over 10 senior officials from different government departments, as well as Deputy Governor of the Bank of the Lao PDR (Laos' central bank) Mr Soulysak Thamnuvong, giving us a great opportunity to receive the latest updates on financial developments in the two places for exploring more collaboration," Mr Hui said.
He told the delegation that Hong Kong has been actively consolidating the strengths of its financial system in recent years and broadening the financial value chain to achieve greater financial diversification. Leveraging its robust financial infrastructure, Hong Kong is pressing ahead to develop into an international gold-trading centre, attracting physical gold storage, clearing and delivery in Hong Kong, thereby driving the development of the entire industry chain, ranging from related financial trading, insurance, warehousing, trade and logistics services. As a unique place bridging the Mainland and global markets, Hong Kong will continue deepening its co-operation with international markets, including the Belt and Road countries.
He added, "Amid the increasingly uncertain global landscape, we will continue to maintain close ties with Belt and Road countries for opening up new areas of co-operation and demonstrate the city's roles as a 'super connector' and a 'super value-adder', with a view to achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes."
Today, representatives of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the delegation also conducted in-depth discussions on gold market co-operation. Mr Hui anticipated that the discussions would expedite the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two places, thus laying a solid foundation for future collaboration in jointly building an international gold trading ecosystem.
At the meeting, Mr Hui expressed gratitude to Mr Phomvihane for his unwavering support for the CDTA negotiations between Hong Kong and Laos, the first round of which has been scheduled to take place in Hong Kong from March 23. He hoped that the CDTA could be signed as soon as practicable to create a more attractive business environment for promoting bilateral trade and investment.
The Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, also attended the meeting today.
Ends/Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:00
Issued at HKT 18:00
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