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Commissioner for Belt and Road Nicholas Ho Lik-chi has urged Hong Kong to evolve into a key resource allocation hub for the Belt and Road Initiative, following the record-breaking cooperation achieved at the Belt and Road Summit.
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The annual conference, which concluded on September 10, resulted in more than 60 cooperation memoranda and agreements representing a total deal value of approximately US$3.1 billion (around HK$24.1 billion), which is three times the total value recorded at last year's event.
Ho noted that the outcomes of this year's summit were far more pragmatic and substantial than in previous years, emphasizing that ongoing geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East have not dampened the enthusiasm of regional enterprises to seek international opportunities.
The summit drew high-level business leaders and officials from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and welcomed participating investment firms from Oman for the first time.
Ho emphasized that while Hong Kong continues to excel in its roles as a "super connector" and "super value-adder," its future success lies in its ability to actively allocate and direct international capital, talent, and professional expertise.
To illustrate the scale of potential opportunities, Ho pointed out that a mere 0.1 percent of mainland China's 50 million to 60 million enterprises seeking overseas expansion would translate to roughly 60,000 active companies.
This volume is six times the current number of offshore corporate offices operating in Hong Kong, representing a massive untapped pool of commercial demand, he added.
