CE leads delegation to begin visit programme to Uzbekistan (with photos/videos)
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Mr Lee and the delegation arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last night and met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Mr Bakhtiyor Saidov. Mr Lee and Mr Saidov jointly witnessed an exchange of notes between the two places on a mutual visa-free arrangement, which would allow a visa-free period of 30 days for visitors from both sides. The governments of both places will immediately advance the discussions of the detailed arrangements to strive for early implementation. Mr Lee said he looked forward to the early advancement of the relevant visa-free arrangement with Uzbekistan.
This morning, Mr Lee met with the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Mr Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov, and Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Mr Jamshid Khodjayev to discuss ways to deepen economic and trade exchanges and co-operation. Mr Lee said that he was pleased to have the opportunity of meeting them in Uzbekistan for the first time, following his earlier meeting with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in Hong Kong, when they led their delegations to visit the city.
Mr Lee said that Uzbekistan is an important trading partner of Hong Kong in Central Asia. Economic and trade ties between the two places have continued to deepen, and there are broad prospects for further co-operation. As an international trading centre, Hong Kong ranks first globally in economic freedom and is the world's fifth-largest merchandise trading entity. He said that Hong Kong and Uzbekistan are respectively important gateways for trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific and Central Asian regions. The two places can leverage their complementary strengths to further enhance economic and trade co-operation and help enterprises explore broader markets. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong has been deepening economic and trade ties with its trading partners through its overseas Economic and Trade Offices. He said he looks forward to further strengthening bilateral co-operation with Uzbekistan in various areas in the future.
Afterwards, Mr Lee met with the Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Strategic Development, Mr Sardor Umurzakov, to exchange views on deepening co-operation between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan. Mr Lee said that he hopes to build closer ties with the local government, enterprises and relevant institutions through the visit, with a view to achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.
At noon, Mr Lee met with the President of Uzbekistan, Mr Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, to exchange views on furthering co-operation. Mr Lee said that under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. He said that Hong Kong will continue to play its roles as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" to further deepen co-operation and exchanges with Uzbekistan on various fronts in line with Uzbekistan's goal of achieving high-quality development. The two places will join hands in seizing the opportunities from the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and promoting common development between the two places and the Central Asian region.
Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia, and possesses abundant natural resources and a young labour force. In recent years, its Gross Domestic Product has maintained a robust growth, demonstrating enormous potential in economic growth, industrial development, green transformation and infrastructure development. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is committed to developing into an international hub for post-secondary education and an international hub for high-calibre talent. Hong Kong is pressing ahead with the promotion of the "Study in Hong Kong" brand to attract more students from outside of the city to study and conduct researches in Hong Kong. He invited Uzbekistan to stage its major conferences and key projects in Hong Kong in the form of Asian chapters or roadshows. He also encouraged more young people from Uzbekistan to study in Hong Kong, building a stronger foundation for long-term co-operation between the two places through education, cultural and people-to-people exchange.
Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is actively developing into an international gold trading centre, attracting the storage, clearing and delivery of gold in Hong Kong and building a comprehensive gold trading ecosystem. He said that Uzbekistan has abundant gold reserves, and that Hong Kong can provide strong support to Uzbekistan in areas such as gold trading, reserve allocation and professional services, and create more mutually beneficial business opportunities for the two places.
In the afternoon, Mr Lee attended a luncheon hosted by the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan to discuss ways to facilitate business matching and expand market opportunities between enterprises of the two places.
In the evening, Mr Lee attended a business dinner and a signing ceremony for Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, where he introduced Hong Kong's development opportunities and business advantages to local political and business representatives.
Mr Lee will continue to lead the delegation on its visit programme in Uzbekistan tomorrow (June 5).
Ends/Thursday, June 4, 2026
Issued at HKT 22:45
Issued at HKT 22:45
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Photo
Audio / Video
CE meets with Prime Minister of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
CE meets with President of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
CE meets media in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
CE attends business dinner and signing ceremony for MOUs jointly organised by HKSAR Government and HKTDC in Tashkent, Uzbekistan