A large high-level business delegation led by John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), wrapped up its five-day visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on June 5, achieving fruitful results in strengthening bilateral relations and deepening ties with Central Asia. The delegation of over 70 business and institutional leaders from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland is the largest and most diverse overseas mission led by the current term of the HKSAR Government.
Speaking to the media in Uzbekistan on June 4, Lee set out three main objectives: further explore emerging markets and lay the foundation for long-term economic and trade development; strengthen government-to-government relationships and promote closer bilateral cooperation; and build a "hub-to-hub" model of cooperation. He said the visit was successful, yielding achievements in eight areas, including establishing high-level contacts, reaching 96 cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding (61 with Kazakhstan and 35 with Uzbekistan) involving specific amounts exceeding US$1.65 billion, and commencing bilateral discussions on various agreements.
During his stay in Tashkent from June 3 to 5, Lee met with local leaders, including President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, his Advisor Sardor Umurzakov, Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, and Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev, to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, finance, innovation and technology (I&T), and people-to-people exchanges. Lee highlighted that under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage, and will continue to play its roles as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder."
On June 3, Lee met with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, after which they witnessed an exchange of notes on a mutual visa-free arrangement allowing a 30-day visa-free period for visitors. "Moreover, we are glad to have initialed the Air Services Agreement with Uzbekistan, and look forward to launching direct passenger flights between the two places soon," Lee said during a high-level business dinner on June 4. He noted that Hong Kong and Uzbekistan are important trade and investment gateways to the Asia-Pacific and Central Asia, respectively, and both are believers in the Belt and Road Initiative. "Today, China is Uzbekistan's largest trading partner, and the two countries work closely on major infrastructure and connectivity projects that are revitalising the Silk Road. Hong Kong is a pivotal player in the B&R Initiative, thanks to our world-class professional and financial services expertise," Lee added.
The delegation also toured the IT Park Uzbekistan and the Center for Islamic Civilization before concluding its visit. The mission advanced a hub-to-hub cooperation model, facilitated project matching in finance, I&T, and aviation, and promoted exchanges in education, talent, and culture to deepen people-to-people bonds.
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