John Lee to lead delegation to visit Middle East in May: sources

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is scheduled to lead a delegation to visit the Middle East in May, according to sources.

Notably, mainland entrepreneurs will join the delegation for the first time to highlight Hong Kong's unique role of connecting both the mainland and the world. 

Sources said Lee initially intended to visit Europe mid-year and had invited various business sector representatives to join him. 

However, after further discussions, the decision was made to focus the trip on Middle Eastern countries, with Kuwait and Qatar anticipated as key destinations.

The trip is expected to be approximately one week, during which the delegation may allocate one day for a brief visit to Europe, although the specific itinerary remains to be finalized.

Lee has previously visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2023, therefore the countries are not included in the upcoming trip.

Sources indicate that Mainland authorities have recommended including entrepreneurs from Chinese companies in the delegation, thereby allowing Hong Kong to effectively leverage its unique position in connecting the mainland with the global market.

Lee Ka-chiu attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Thailand in 2022. Subsequently, he conducted visits to seven ASEAN countries in the following years but has yet to visit Brunei, Myanmar, and the Philippines as a city leader.

In addition to the trip, Lee is set to visit Hangzhou and Ningbo in Zhejiang Province next month to further enhance collaborations with Mainland China, according to sources.

(Kelvin Wan)