Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will lead a delegation to visit three countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in late July, aiming to establish wider networks and explore business opportunities.
Lee told reporters on Tuesday that he will visit Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. During the trip, senior business representatives from the commercial, financial, transportation, logistics, legal and creative industries will accompany him to introduce Hong Kong’s strengths and business opportunities.
Lee said that it will be his third visit to ASEAN countries in his term of office. Combined with his previous two trips, he will have visited seven ASEAN nations, which collectively represent approximately 75 percent of the total ASEAN population.
ALSO READ: Lee: HK to promote new productive forces for high-quality development
Lee said that during the upcoming trip, the delegation will continue to solicit the three countries’ support for Hong Kong’s accession to Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — a free trade agreement among Asia-Pacific countries
During his last visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.in July, 2023, the delegation signed 33 memoranda of understanding and agreements with local organizations.
“Hong Kong attaches great importance to the cooperation with ASEAN,” Lee emphasized. He said that ASEAN is Hong Kong’s second largest trading partner and the world’s fifth largest economy. Last year, bilateral trade in goods between the HKSAR and ASEAN amounted to US$144.6 billion, accounting for nearly 13 percent of Hong Kong’s total external trade.
Lee said that during the upcoming trip, the delegation will continue to solicit the three countries’ support for Hong Kong’s accession to Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — a free trade agreement among Asia-Pacific countries.
He added that Hong Kong will fulfill its roles as a “super-connector” and “super value-adder”, and deepen collaboration with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, which he said he believes has greatly boosted Hong Kong’s development.
ALSO READ: HK logs 64 percent rise in tourist arrivals in H1
Lee also announced that the public consultation period for this year’s Policy Address begins on Tuesday. This year’s address will focus on economic development and improving livelihood.
Lee and his team will attend more than 40 online and offline consultation forums and two district consultation forums to listen to the views of different individuals, professional sectors, district organizations and political parties.
Lee will also go into the community to have face-to-face exchanges with the public and listen to their views.
“It is believed that we can reach out to a wider range of residents.” Lee said that the consultation will be more diverse, and taking into account the experiences gained from the previous two years.
As society has been stabilized, the government will make all-out efforts to develop the economy and improve livelihood. Specifically, it will keep reinforcing its advantages and exploring new areas of growth, while seizing opportunities in domestic and international markets to jointly develop with the nation, Lee said.
