Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee
HKGCC signs MoU with Almaty Chamber in Kazakhstan
Chamber Chairman Agnes Chan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Akerkin Eraliyeva, Managing Director of the Almaty Chamber of Entrepreneurs (Atameken), during the Mainland-HKSAR joint business mission to Kazakhstan in May. Chan said the MoU would help to enhance trade and economic cooperation as well as foster greater understanding of culture and tourism exchanges between the two markets.
Based on meetings with organizations such as Astana Invest and Kazakh Invest, she said there is a lot of potential for Hong Kong firms in areas such as tourism, professional services, financial technology and IT development. Kazakhstan’s strengths are in renewable energy, power, infrastructure and manufacturing, which present compelling investment prospects.
HKGCC Signs MoU with Bahrain Chamber
During the Chamber’s mission to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates 20-26 April, mission leader and Chairman of the Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Jonathan Lamport signed an MoU with Sameer Abdullah Nass, Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Both sides expressed optimism for continued growth between Hong Kong and Bahrain business, with each serving as gateways to their respective regions.
24th Hong Kong-Kagoshima Conference Planned for November 2024
The Hong Kong-Kagoshima Conference will resume this November after being put on hold during the pandemic years. Nishi Masatomo, Director General, Kagoshima Prefectural Government, Tourism, Culture and Sports Department, led his delegation to the Chamber on 13 May to share the good news and discuss the conference as well as associated events and promotions revolving around Kagoshima. Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Vice Chairman Dewan Saiful Alam and the Chamber’s Director for PR & Programs Malcolm Ainsworth welcomed the visitors. The Chamber has been supporting the conference since its inception in 1981. Keep an eye on the HKGCC website for more details.
Helping Companies Enter the Middle East Market
It was a pleasure to meet with Scott Cairns, Managing Director, Creation Business Consultants, and his colleague Ka-ying Leung, again at the Chamber on 13 May. We first met at a matching session at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce during HKGCC’s recent mission to UAE and Bahrain. Cairns’ firm has established an office in Hong Kong to help companies here, as well as in Mainland China, set up operations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Cairns pointed out that although there are many various free trade zones and special areas in the Middle East, each has its own pros and cons, so it is vital that companies heading to the region choose the best one for their business’ particular circumstances.
Europe Committee
Exploring a Business Mission to Europe
Europe Committee Chairman Alfonso Ballesteros presented his insights on business trends and sentiment in Europe at a meeting on 22 May. He also initiated a discussion to understand members’ preferences and expectations for a business mission to Europe. Besides travel distance and airfares, members also considered potential business opportunities and trade events when choosing which country to visit. They suggested that the Chamber explore signing MoUs with high-level entities in Europe to make the mission more appealing and productive.
During the same meeting, Alfonso Ballesteros was re-elected as Chairman. CK Lee and Stratos Pourzitakis were re-elected as Vice Chairmen, and Bjoern Lindner was newly elected as Vice Chairman.
Exploring Investment Opportunities in Wallonia, Belgium
It was a pleasure to welcome Peiru Jiang, Chief Representative of the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) Shenzhen Office, to the Chamber on 2 May. The delegation was received by Chamber CEO Patrick Yeung and Alfonso Ballesteros, Chairman of the Europe Committee.
The French-speaking region of southern Belgium, Wallonia, is an ideal investment destination especially in the fields of e-commerce, logistics and biopharma, said Jiang. With its multilingual nature, excellent infrastructure as well as supportive policies, the region offers many advantages to companies seeking to establish a presence there. The two sides also discussed opportunities for collaboration, such as events and get-togethers to help connect Belgian and Hong Kong companies.