The 11th Belt and Road Summit opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on September 9, with more than 6,000 government leaders and professionals from over 70 countries reported to be taking part.
Chief Executive John Lee said Hong Kong could connect Belt and Road economies with mainland China and global markets, while providing a springboard for mainland enterprises and international companies. He said the city’s financial, trade and logistics capabilities, together with its international connectivity under “one country, two systems”, supported that role.
Lee said more than 60 government agreements and memorandums of understanding, along with business memorandums and transactions, would be exchanged or concluded during this year’s summit. The specific agreements were not detailed in the reports.
He also said projects and deals concluded in the days before the report had reached a value of more than US$3.1 billion. The report did not specify whether that figure covered only summit-related deals or a wider group of projects and transactions.
Lee said a recent trip to Central Asia had produced interest from companies there in listings in Hong Kong. Direct flights between the region and Hong Kong were expected to begin in January, according to the report, although no further details were given.
The summit is scheduled as a two-day event running through September 10. Lee described the Belt and Road Initiative as a shared-future blueprint based on connectivity, co-operation and consensus, rather than a map of the past. The Hong Kong government had hosted a reception for visiting political and business leaders before the summit opened.