John Lee meets ASEAN Secretary-General to strengthen regional trade ties

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu met with the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at Government House on Friday to discuss expanding collaboration between Hong Kong and ASEAN member nations.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau also attended the diplomatic meeting.

Highlighting economic partnerships and strategic expansion
During the meeting, Lee welcomed the visiting delegation and emphasized the deep commercial relationship between Hong Kong and the regional bloc.

ASEAN has maintained its position as Hong Kong's second-largest trading partner since 2010.

Lee highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively drafting its First Five-Year Plan to build upon its established strengths as a global financial, shipping, and trade center while accelerating development as an international innovation, technology, and talent hub.

He reaffirmed Hong Kong's commitment to deepening regional cooperation across financial services, logistics, and technology sectors to drive mutual economic growth.
Serving as a super connector for global business.

Addressing Hong Kong's strategic location under the One Country, Two Systems framework, Lee underscored the city's unique role as a functional platform for the Belt and Road Initiative.

He noted that Hong Kong serves as a super connector and super value-adder that enables ASEAN companies to expand while leveraging high-quality professional services.

Through initiatives like the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global, the government continues to facilitate two-way trade and investment flows between mainland China and Southeast Asia.

To further strengthen these bilateral ties, Hong Kong established its fourth ASEAN-based Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last year.

Closing the discussion, Lee expressed enthusiasm for continued close engagement with the ASEAN Secretariat to secure stakeholder support for Hong Kong's early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
 

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