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Hong Kong Trade Development Council is exploring opening offices in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries as it seeks to tap expanding economic opportunities in the region, chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang said on Monday.
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Ma said HKTDC has already set up a consultant office in Almaty — Kazakhstan’s largest city and it plans to expand the team in Almaty to keep pace with rising trade activity and growing numbers of inquiries, with a view to upgrading the office or establishing new locations in neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan.
He said HKTDC will continue to work with various government departments to promote Hong Kong across the region.
Ma also noted that after he visited Central Asia in June, Kazakhstan rail operator KTZ announced plans to list in Hong Kong. Beyond Central Asia, eight companies from Belt and Road countries have also filed listing applications with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Currently, about 100 Belt and Road enterprises are listed in the city, with a combined market capitalization of about HK$340 billion.
Ma said he hopes more emerging markets will leverage Hong Kong’s role as an international financial hub to expand their businesses.
Separately, the council has revised its forecast for Hong Kong’s export growth upward to between 42 percent and 47 percent for the year, citing strong performance in the first eight months.
Ma attributed the outlook to improved prospects for Hong Kong’s exports, including better US-China relations following President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, as well as sustained global demand for artificial intelligence and semiconductor products.
