The momentum of economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Central Asia continued as the Alatau City Investment Round Table was held in Hong Kong on June 11, 2026. The event, organized by the Alatau City Authority, a state body of Kazakhstan, comes on the heels of a business delegation led by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from June 1 to 5. The roundtable aimed to build on the outcomes of that visit and deepen collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The roundtable was attended by Chief Executive John Lee and Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, along with representatives from government bodies, leading enterprises, financial institutions, and investors from Kazakhstan, the Chinese Mainland, and Hong Kong. Participants explored investment opportunities in Alatau City, a new greenfield project near Almaty, across sectors including fintech, the low-altitude economy, smart city development, and infrastructure.
Chief Executive John Lee emphasized Hong Kong's unique advantages, stating, "Under the unique 'one country, two systems' principle, we are the only world city to combine the China advantage and the global advantage." He highlighted Kazakhstan's ambitious reforms and open attitude towards international partners, expressing Hong Kong's eagerness to explore wide-ranging business and investment cooperation.
Silas Chu, Director of Exhibitions and Digital Business of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), noted the importance of the Central Asian market. "The fact that we opened our Almaty consultant office back in 2018 speaks for itself," he said, adding that HKTDC platforms such as the Belt and Road Summit and InnoEX can help attract international investors and technology partners.
A notable development at the roundtable was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Templewater Limited, a business delegate from the Central Asia visit, and DASCO Capital to explore establishing a fund supporting the development of Kazakhstan and the Alatau City Project. The Central Asia visit yielded a total of 96 MoUs and agreements, including 66 signed by the business delegation covering trade, investment, finance, technology, and aviation. Additionally, 15 government-level cooperation agreements and 15 MoUs in academia and culture were signed.
The HKTDC will continue to follow up on key projects from the visit by providing professional business matching and support services to facilitate implementation, assisting enterprises in exploring new international opportunities. Through major conferences, business missions, and outreach initiatives, the HKTDC aims to promote collaboration between Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland enterprises with Belt and Road markets.
