Belt and Road Summit explores new business opportunities and advances high-quality development (with photos)
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Hosted by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) since 2016, the Summit is a premier business and investment platform for Hong Kong's participation in and contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Under the theme "Advancing High-quality Development • Embarking on a New Journey", the 11th Summit aims to foster high-quality, sustainable and innovative development.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, delivered remarks at the opening session. The Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Mr Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov, the Vice President of Uruguay, Ms Carolina Cosse, and Deputy Prime Minister of Laos Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, gave special addresses. Vice Minister of Commerce Mr Yan Dong, and Vice Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council Mr Li Zhen also delivered speeches.
Mr Lee said the BRI is a shared blueprint for the future, rooted in a rich history of cross-cultural collaboration. Hong Kong, as a place where East meets West, is where capital, talent, businesses and opportunities converge.
"In addition to strengthening our relations with traditional partners, Hong Kong continues to expand our network of friends along the Belt and Road," Mr Lee said. "I have led high-level business delegations to explore opportunities in 13 Belt and Road countries across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Middle East and Central Asia, focusing on specific areas to explore new markets. These missions delivered over 250 MOUs and other agreements, from policy co-ordination and trade and investment, to expanded connectivity and support for companies. They underline Hong Kong's long-standing focus on opening new markets, forming new partnerships and advancing regional co-operation." Mr Lee said.
Mr Lee said the achievements from his visits demonstrate the value of a hub-to-hub co-operation model, where Hong Kong can serve as Belt and Road economies' gateway to the Chinese Mainland and global markets and the economies can connect Hong Kong with relevant regions. This inter-connected network of hubs will amplify regional strengths through enhanced connectivity and unleash fresh opportunities.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, delivered welcoming remarks at the keynote luncheon, where the Secretary-General of the ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim-hourn was the keynote speaker. Mr Chan said ASEAN had consistently outpaced the global economy and was becoming an increasingly important partner in technological advancement and industrial upgrading. Two-way trade between China and ASEAN surpassed US$1 trillion last year, reflecting the reshaping of industrial chains across the region.
ASEAN's demographic, market and technology dividends offer growth opportunities through its young population, expanding middle class, trade agreements and artificial intelligence (AI). Turning these advantages into sustained growth requires patient capital, open, well-regulated testing grounds and a strong talent base. Hong Kong can connect global investors with innovative companies, drawing on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's frontier research, advanced manufacturing and substantial consumer market. The Northern Metropolis will facilitate the flow of technology, talent and capital, strengthening connections between research, commercial application and production to foster shared prosperity across the region.
The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, gave welcome remarks at a thematic breakout session titled "Hong Kong: Super Connector‧World-class Springboard – Professional Services Empowering Global Expansion". He highlighted that the National 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly supports Hong Kong in leveraging its strength in professional services to assist enterprises to go global. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, and pursuant to the Basic Law, Hong Kong has unique legal, financial and other systems which are highly international in nature. Hong Kong serves not only as a "super connector" between the Chinese Mainland and the rest of the world but also a "super value-adder".
He said that Hong Kong is the only common law jurisdiction in China, and the world's only bilingual common law jurisdiction using both Chinese and English. Hong Kong's business law is consistent with prevailing international standards and practice, remaining one of the best options as the governing law for international transactions. Hong Kong have concluded mutual legal assistance arrangements with the Mainland in civil and commercial matters. The arbitration ecosystem in Hong Kong is equally world-renowned, and they city is the second most preferred arbitral seat in the world, and the most preferred arbitral seat in Asia Pacific. Together with the headquarters of the International Organization for Mediation, which is dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, established in Hong Kong, all these reinforce the city's status as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre.
The internationalised, high quality and reputable legal and dispute resolution services provided by Hong Kong's legal professionals can undoubtedly assist in safeguarding the interests of enterprises involved in the BRI to go global effectively and efficiently, Mr Lam added.
The First Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, Mr Umiraliyev Zhandos Zhanibekovich, also spoke at the session, highlighting the importance and cross-regional nature of professional services.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, chaired the policy dialogue on "Building Resilient Trade and Investment Frameworks in a Diverse Global Landscape" at which he discussed with other participating ministers on how to address pressing economic challenges. He highlighted that Hong Kong is steadfast to promote trade for the benefit of all, through upholding a rules-based multilateral trading system, implementing transparent and non-discriminatory regulations, and facilitating customs and digital interoperability. Mr Yau will give opening remarks in a thematic breakout session titled "Chinese Mainland Enterprises Going Global: Driving Mutual Growth Across Belt and Road Economies" tomorrow.
The Summit witnessed seven MOUs between the HKSAR Government and their overseas counterparts to promote bilateral co-operation and exchanges, covering the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Working Group on Developing Low-altitude Economy, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Belt and Road Office, Invest Hong Kong and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, with Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Thailand, Türkiye, Zimbabwe, and Uzbekistan. The Summit also witnessed around 55 other MOUs in various areas. The total value of these MOUs, together with new projects and deals finalised before and during the Summit, is over US$3.1 billion.
The Summit brough together business leaders to discuss how to foster co-operation for a more prosperous and connected future, covering a wide range of areas including trade and commerce, legal services, green technology, logistics, AI and new quality productive forces. The Summit will open with a special address session by the Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation, Professor Teresa Cheng on the second day. Debuting this year is a Think Tank Dialogue to promote exchanges with experts and scholars. Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will give keynote speech in a thematic session on aligning Hong Kong's low-altitude economy with the BRI.
A roundtable session with the theme of "Innovative and Health Silk Road: Collaborating for a Better Future" was held today to share Hong Kong's experience of promoting AI adoption and public health, thereby fostering development for a more prosperous future through knowledge exchange. And, there are two Belt and Road signature projects sessions featuring development projects in Kazakhstan and Türkiye respectively to facilitate deal matching.
This year's Summit assembles local universities to showcase their research and development outcomes and talent advantages, consolidating Hong Kong's position as an international education hub. To encourage youth to learn more about the latest Belt and Road developments and opportunities, over 300 Belt and Road Scholarship recipients, local university students, Youth Link members and Youth Development Commission Youth Ambassadors were invited to attend the year's Summit. A session on dialogue with youth business leaders will also be held tomorrow to share their experience of entrepreneurship and spotlight Hong Kong's unique advantages as an international hub for high-calibre talent.
Ends/Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Issued at HKT 22:33
Issued at HKT 22:33
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