HK deepens ties with Middle East, laying solid foundation for broader cooperation: Paul Chan

Hong Kong's engagement with the Middle East has deepened significantly in recent years, expanding beyond financial and trade cooperation to include cultural, artistic, and sports exchanges, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday.

He believes these interactions enhance mutual understanding of each other's cultures, histories, and customs, laying a stronger and more solid foundation for future collaboration in other areas.

In his latest blog titled "Starting with the Saudi Super Cup," Chan highlighted that the current historical moment is favorable for Hong Kong to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Middle East.

He noted that China is actively promoting enhanced collaboration with "Global South" countries, aiming for mutual benefits and shared development.

This initiative allows Hong Kong to more fully leverage its role as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" under the "one country, two systems" framework.

Chan also emphasized that the SAR government has been intensifying efforts to deepen cooperation with the Middle East while strengthening ties with Central Asia.

Meanwhile, the finance chief said government teams, in the second half of the year, will continue promoting Hong Kong and mainland China's advantages and business opportunities worldwide.

This includes leading delegations on visits to consolidate and deepen multi-level and multi-faceted exchanges and cooperation with emerging markets, creating more development opportunities for local enterprises and institutions.

(Marco Lam)