A large high-level business delegation led by John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), wrapped up a five-day visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on June 5, achieving fruitful results in strengthening bilateral relations and deepening ties with Central Asia. The delegation, comprising over 70 business and institutional leaders from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, is the largest and most diverse overseas mission led by the current HKSAR Government.
Speaking to the media in Uzbekistan on June 4, Lee outlined three main objectives: further exploring emerging markets and laying foundations for long-term economic and trade development; strengthening government-to-government relationships; and building a hub-to-hub model of co-operation. The visit yielded achievements in eight areas, including establishing high-level contacts, reaching 96 co-operation agreements and memoranda of understanding (61 with Kazakhstan, 35 with Uzbekistan) involving specific amounts exceeding US$1.65 billion, and commencing bilateral discussions on various agreements.
The agreements cover finance, innovation and technology (I&T), aviation, and more. The governments also agreed to promote direct flights, aviation and transport co-operation, and extensions to mutual visa-free periods. A mutual visa-free arrangement with Uzbekistan was signed, allowing a visa-free period of 30 days for visitors. Additionally, an Air Services Agreement was initialed, aiming to launch direct passenger flights soon.
Lee met with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other officials in Tashkent, highlighting Hong Kong's advantages under the 'one country, two systems' principle. He emphasized Hong Kong's role as a 'super connector' and 'super value-adder' to deepen co-operation with Uzbekistan, aligning with the country's high-quality development goals. The delegation also toured IT Park Uzbekistan and the Center for Islamic Civilization.
The mission demonstrated Hong Kong's effective role as a platform for going global, with Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises jointly tapping new markets. The hub-to-hub co-operation model is expected to open broader room for collaboration between Hong Kong and Central Asia.
