A high-level Hong Kong business delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee commenced its five-day tour of Central Asia today, visiting Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The mission, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), aims to explore investment and collaboration opportunities, promoting Hong Kong's role as a connecting platform and gateway for businesses.
Key Objectives of the Mission
HKTDC Chairman Professor Raymond Ma stated that the current geopolitical climate makes Hong Kong's function as a financial safe haven and bridge more crucial than ever. He described this delegation as a prime opportunity to showcase this advantage and turn challenges into opportunities.
He highlighted three distinctive features of this mission: it is the largest in terms of participant numbers and scale; it involves the broadest range of industry sectors; and it marks the first high-profile visit of its kind to Central Asia, promoting a "hub-to-hub" cooperation model.
Under the Chief Executive's leadership, the delegation will focus on promoting Hong Kong's unique roles as a "super-connector" and "super value-adder." It will demonstrate that Hong Kong is the preferred gateway for Central Asian enterprises to access the Greater Bay Area and mainland China, and the optimal base for mainland companies to expand into Central Asian markets.
Strategic Focus on Key Economies
Professor Ma noted the strategic importance of selecting Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the visit. Both are key hubs along the Belt and Road Initiative and are the largest and most reform-active economies in Central Asia, actively pursuing economic diversification.
Leveraging decades of transformation experience, Hong Kong and mainland China can assist these nations in transitioning from a resource-based economy to a high-value-added, sustainable development model. This creates significant opportunities for cooperation and investment across areas like financing, trade, logistics, light industry, innovation, technology, and green development, further strengthening ties along the Belt and Road.
Composition and Scope of the Delegation
Following last year's visits to Qatar and Kuwait, this delegation again combines the strengths of Hong Kong and mainland enterprises. It comprises 70 business leaders from Hong Kong and 17 provinces and municipalities in mainland China.
The delegation spans multiple sectors including financial and professional services, logistics, innovation and technology, trade, green industries, energy and mining, biomedicine, automotive, and media, aiming to seize Belt and Road cooperation opportunities.
In line with policy objectives to support the media industry in developing overseas networks, this mission, for the first time, includes representatives from major news industry associations, such as the Hong Kong Newspaper Society and the Hong Kong News Executives' Association.
Exploring Growth Opportunities
The visit will focus on the national development strategies of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Through site visits, institutional tours, high-level meetings, and major promotional events, it aims to explore cooperation opportunities in finance, logistics, infrastructure, technology, and green investment, with the goal of facilitating concrete projects.
Central Asia remains a high-potential emerging region, endowed with abundant natural resources, a young population, Belt and Road infrastructure connectivity, and ongoing economic diversification reforms.
According to the IMF's latest Regional Economic Outlook from April 2026, the Caucasus and Central Asia region's real GDP growth reached 6.2% in 2025, exceeding expectations. Growth is forecast to moderate to around 4.8% in 2026 due to global geopolitical uncertainty and Middle East tensions but remains significantly above the projected global average of 3.1%. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan continue to be key drivers of regional growth.