Belt and Road Corner

Hong Kong: A Key Link in the BRI

With its unique strengths, Hong Kong is well placed to play the role of "super-connector" for the Belt and Road Initiative. Our competitive advantages include preferential access to the massive Mainland market, internationally compatible trade, commercial and legal systems, as well as our strategic location, infrastructure and talent pool.

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Hong Kong's Added Value for the Belt and Road

A Key Link in the Initiative

The Mainland’s reform and opening-up over the past four decades helped power the tremendous transformation and growth of Hong Kong’s economy. Looking ahead to the next 40 years, the Belt and Road Initiative is a new engine that will help drive our continued economic and social development.

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Chamber Belt and Road Talks

Deeping Belt and Road Business and Connections

We had a constructive meeting with Nicholas Ho, the new Commissioner of Belt and Road Office on 3 November, who outlined the focus of his office for the coming year. Chamber CEO Patrick Yeung, Belt & Road Working Group Co-Convenor Edmond Yue and Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Chairman Jonathan Lamport welcomed Nicholas and his colleagues.

He explained that the BRI’s focus has now shifted from mega-scale project to smaller ones, as many large infrastructure projects and facilities built over the past 10 years since the project’s launch are now completed. As a result, smaller projects can develop business more easily and cheaply. He also emphasized the importance of magnifying Hong Kong’s role as an interconnector to benefit from the BRI by facilitating business and trade in both inbound and outbound investments. Nicholas also shared that two major themes going forward will be green & sustainable development, and the digital economy.

The Chamber agreed to work more closely with the BRO to help members explore new markets and opportunities in light of more FTAs expected to be signed in the coming years, not least RCEP.

Exploring Opportunities in the Middle East

At the Belt and Road Working Group’s meeting on 14 February, Co-Convenor Nicholas Ho shared the takeaways from his trip to APEC Thailand in November and the recent Hong Kong mission to the Middle East. He said despite tensions between member economies, the APEC Thailand came to a successful conclusion as members signed a Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Agreement, reiterating the Asia-Pacific region’s commitment to sustainable growth.

On the mission to the Middle East led by the Chief Executive John Lee, Ho said Middle Eastern countries were eager to diversify their economies away from oil dependence and were proactively bringing in professional talent and services. There were ample opportunities in areas such as green finance, green bonds, family offices, bond and stock connect. He added that countries also displayed a strong urge to use Hong Kong as a platform to enter the GBA, which he saw as inseparable to the BRI. With the latter reaching its 10-year mark with over US$1 trillion invested in some 3,000 projects across 200 countries, he predicts BRI megaprojects will give way to smaller scale, but high-quality, ESG-driven, digital projects. This would also play to Hong Kong’s strengths with its state-of-the-art professional services sector.

Belt & Road Global Forum

The HKTDC 5th Belt & Road Global Forum Annual Roundtable was held on 2 September with the theme “Charting a Sustainable and Robust Path to Opportunities in a New Era”. Nicholas Ho and Edmond Yue, Co-Convenors of the Belt and Road Working Group, attended the forum. 

Ho, as a member of the panel, discussed the latest green developments along the BRI, as well as how businesses can build resilient supply chains amid global disruptions and how to mitigate operational risks under the "new normal".

A Close Look into China’s Contributions to the Health Silk Road

Prof Yang Jian, Vice President and Senior Fellow in Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS), gave an overview of the latest developments of the Health Silk Road (HSR) and China's work to bridge the global vaccine gap at the Chamber’s Belt and Road Working Group, hosted by Edmond Yue, Co-convenor, on 11 April. He said China had recently pledged to supply an additional 1 billion vaccines to Africa, on top of the 2 billion pledged globally in 2021, to help the continent achieve its goal of vaccinating 60% of the African population by 2022. The country was also working with the international community to promote mutual vaccine recognition.

Also speaking at the meeting, Henry Tillman, Founder of China Investment Research, gave members an in-depth analysis of China's mRNA vaccine development, saying there was hope that one or two mRNA vaccines would be released in late 2022. China was working closely with over 27 developing countries via technology transfer and joint ventures to help them set up factories to produce vaccines locally, among which Indonesia, Pakistan, UAE and Uzbekistan led in number of vaccines produced. He encouraged members to explore investment opportunities in medical infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing along the HSR.
 

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