Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stressed the urgent need for economies to strengthen climate resilience and digital infrastructure at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) annual meeting in Doha, Qatar, yesterday, with Hong Kong and China standing ready to support member countries.
Chan welcomed the AIIB's establishment of an office in Hong Kong, saying at the opening ceremony of the 11th annual meeting of the board of governors of AIIB that achieving these developments requires concrete projects, not only financial support but also planning and implementing projects throughout their life cycle, and AIIB could further promote knowledge and experience to bring infrastructure projects to fruition.
Hong Kong and China will also support AIIB members in preparatory work for infrastructure projects, creating favorable conditions for financing and smooth implementation to achieve development goals, he noted.
Paul Chan (first right) meeting with the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov (second left). ISD
During the annual meeting, Chan met with Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, to exchange views on strengthening co-operation between the two places in areas including trade, investment, finance and infrastructure development.
He welcomed Uzbek enterprises to leverage Hong Kong’s international financing platform and professional services, including listing exchange-traded products and real estate investment trusts.
He also met with representatives from various countries and organizations to explore infrastructure financing, digital public infrastructure, investment and economic co-operation.
Paul Chan (center) with the penalists at a seminar entitled “Digital Public Infrastructure as an Enabler for Resilient Economies”. ISD
Chan also delivered a keynote address at the "Digital Public Infrastructure as an Enabler of Resilient Economies" seminar, where he highlighted that digital public infrastructure enables people to access public and commercial services more safely, while also helping businesses expand and obtain financing conveniently, citing Hong Kong’s "iAM Smart", Faster Payment System and Commercial Data Interchange as examples.
