Published: 19:24, August 31, 2023 | Updated: 20:17, August 31, 2023
BRI summit to explore M. East, ASEAN biz opportunities
By Oswald Chan

Algernon Yau Ying-wah, secretary for commerce and economic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, speaks at the press conference of Belt and Road Summit 2023 in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Aug 31, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

The eighth edition of the Belt and Road Summit, which will be held Sept 13-14, comes a decade after the Belt and Road Initiative was unveiled by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

The summit, organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and Hong Kong Trade Development Council since 2016, resumes in physical format for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in 2020. It is expected to attract 5,000 participants with some 80 government officials and business leaders from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as project owners, investors and service providers.

The summit will feature two policy dialogue sessions, with the first one focusing on the potential of the Middle East and the second one on regional cooperation and development

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will deliver opening remarks at the summit, and ministers from Kazakhstan and Indonesia will give keynote addresses.

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“In building the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong is the participant, contributor and benefactor. We will play our role as the two-way portal and channel, strengthening trade and investment connections as well as cultural linkages,” Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said at Thursday’s press briefing.

The summit will feature two policy dialogue sessions, with the first one focusing on the potential of the Middle East and the second one on regional cooperation and development. A new Middle East forum debuts at this year’s summit, focusing on the development and collaboration opportunities the Middle East presents.

“They (the Middle East) are looking for transformation of the economy, looking at innovation and technology, education, logistics and many other areas which Hong Kong is trying to do. There is a good chance for Hong Kong to cooperate with Middle East countries. The summit is a very good platform for exchanging ideas for government-to-government and also business-to-business,” Yau explained.

“The summit has evolved into a preeminent global business platform for discussing opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative and fostering substantial cooperation that helps reinforce Hong Kong’s role as the commercial hub for Belt and Road opportunities,” HKTDC Chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngor added.

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Besides the Middle East forum, this year’s summit also features the finance chapter and youth chapter. The former is to introduce Hong Kong’s financial services, innovative technologies and sustainable development visions, while the latter will invite young business leaders and startups to share their business insights.

More than 80 exhibitors will showcase project collaboration opportunities. This year, HKTDC will extend its online and physical deal-making service to seven days (Sept 13-20), and expects to arrange more than 800 one-to-one project-matching sessions covering more than 280 investment projects in the areas of energy, natural resources and public utilities; innovation and technology; urban development; as well as transport and logistics infrastructure.

According to HKTDC, more than 150 countries and regions and over 30 international organizations have signed more than 200 Belt and Road cooperation documents in the past decade, covering markets accounting for 40 percent of global gross domestic product and 45 percent of world goods trade.