Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday encouraged Uzbek enterprises to establish a presence in Hong Kong and leverage the city’s strengths to expand into mainland and overseas markets, highlighting broad opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
Lee made the remarks during a meeting with Uzbekistan Prime Minister Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov, who was in Hong Kong to attend the Uzbekistan–China (Hong Kong) Economic Forum.
He said Uzbekistan’s economy is growing rapidly and the country is actively advancing infrastructure development, expressing confidence in the potential for deeper collaboration between the two sides.
Lee highlighted that Hong Kong serves as a key platform for the Belt and Road Initiative, while Uzbekistan is a major Central Asian economy with abundant natural resources, a strong labor force, and rapid economic growth.
“For Uzbek enterprises here with us today, if you're looking to tap into the vast Chinese market, Hong Kong is your ideal partner,” Lee said.
He added that Hong Kong is an international financial, shipping, and trading center, ranking as the world's fifth-largest merchandise trading entity and No. 1 globally in economic freedom, and offering a highly international and market-driven business environment.
To promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Lee said he welcomed more young people from Uzbekistan to study and pursue careers in Hong Kong.
He said Hong Kong is the only city with five universities ranked among the global top 100, and said the government has set up a Task Force on Study in Hong Kong and launched the Belt and Road Scholarship to attract international talent as part of its goal of developing into an international post-secondary education hub.
The latest meeting reflects strengthening ties between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan at both government and business levels. Lee previously met Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev in Hong Kong.
In addition, Invest Hong Kong sent a delegation to Uzbekistan last October to explore opportunities in trade, logistics, financial technology, and sustainable development.
Separately, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu is currently in Uzbekistan attending the Asian Development Bank’s annual Board of Governors meeting.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
