Singaporean Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sim Ann (second from right) welcomes Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (fifth from right) and the Hong Kong delegation after their arrival in Singapore on July 23, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A Hong Kong delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has embarked on a weeklong visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, with Lee saying he hopes to leverage the opportunity to garner support from the ASEAN countries for Hong Kong’s accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Accompanying Lee are several senior government officials and about 30 high-level representatives from industry and commerce, financial services, transportation, logistics and e-commerce, and the innovation and technology sectors.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu believes Hong Kong can contribute to the RCEP’s development, and it can also leverage the networks of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the RCEP to explore more development opportunities

The delegation arrived in Singapore on Sunday to kick off a three-day visit to the city-state. The group will depart for Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday, and continue on to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. The delegation will return to Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon.

The group will meet with local political and business leaders to introduce Hong Kong’s unique advantages. They will also visit several major infrastructure projects to explore collaboration in trade and infrastructure.

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Before he left Hong Kong on Sunday, Lee told reporters that Hong Kong is developing multiple advantages in various aspects. The central government’s strategy of building the city into regional and international hubs in eight areas, and many other supporting policies, will also strengthen the city’s capabilities.

Lee believes Hong Kong can contribute to the RCEP’s development, and it can also leverage the networks of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the RCEP to explore more development opportunities. There are significant opportunities for the city to join the partnership once it establishes a solid foundation with the three countries, he said.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement signed by 15 Asia-Pacific nations — including all 10 ASEAN members — and is the largest of its kind in the world. 

Lee said all of the three countries he plans to visit previously expressed support for Hong Kong’s participation in the agreement. He will make good use of the trip to consolidate their support.

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Upon arrival in Singapore on Sunday, Lee met with Sun Haiyan, the Chinese ambassador to Singapore. Lee expressed his gratitude to Sun and the embassy for the continuous support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, the thoughtful arrangements for this visit, and its concern for the Hong Kong people in Singapore.

The HKSAR government will continue to promote business and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Singapore, and to tell Hong Kong’s good stories in Singapore and the other ASEAN countries, Lee said.

On Monday, Lee will meet with government leaders and visit an enterprise. He will also attend a business dinner jointly organized by the HKSAR government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, where he will exchange views with local business leaders.

Last year, ASEAN’s economy increased by 5.5 percent, and has maintained an average growth of 4 percent every year in the past decade, Lee said.

Lee said ASEAN’s potential for development is “enormous”, adding that as the center of the global economy has shifted to the East, Asia, especially ASEAN, is expected to be the biggest driving force for economic development.

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The delegation members will take every opportunity to introduce Hong Kong’s actual situation, development potential and business opportunities during the visit in these three countries, Lee said.

This is Lee’s second visit to ASEAN countries since he took office as chief executive in July 2022. In November, he attended the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.