The 9th Belt and Road Summit returns next month

-  This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. As part of celebration activities, the Summit is themed Building a Connected, Innovative and Green Belt and Road. It will gather over 80 key officials and business leaders from Belt and Road countries and regions to explore cooperation opportunities

-  A brand-new Green Chapter is added this year, aligning with the Summit theme to feature a variety of thematic sessions on green development and innovation

HONG KONG, Aug 28, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - The Belt and Road Summit, co-organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Hong  Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will take place on 11 and 12 September.

Themed Building a Connected, Innovative and Green Belt and Road, the Summit will bring together over 80 key officials and business leaders from Belt and Road countries and regions, they will be engaged in discussions on leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages to jointly explore Belt and Road markets and uncover cooperation opportunities.

The Summit is a key platform for Hong Kong to promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), closely aligned with the eight major steps announced by President Xi Jinping last year to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

The Opening Session will feature welcome remarks by Dr Peter K N Lam, Chairman of the HKTDC and opening remarks by John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR. Nurlan Baibazarov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, will give a keynote address.

Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR Government, said: "As our country's Belt and Road Initiative enters its next golden decade and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has proposed improving the mechanism for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Hong Kong, with the solid support of the nation, will continue to capitalise on our unique advantages under one country, two systems to play a more active role by leveraging its strengths as a two-way global investment and trade hub, a hub for technological innovation and green development and an international cultural exchange centre. The Belt and Road Summit will deepen international business cooperation and consolidate Hong Kong's position as the preferred business platform for the Belt and Road Initiative, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's important functions and positioning in global finance, business cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, innovation and technology development, guiding enterprises to explore new business opportunities."

Dr Peter K N Lam, Chairman of the HKTDC, said: "With the support of its global network of 50 offices, the HKTDC organises business delegations and outreach activities to Belt and Road countries and regions, promoting tripartite cooperation among Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong professional service providers, investors and Belt and Road project owners. The HKTDC also enables businesses to leverage their own strengths to help Hong Kong play the role of superconnector, linking China with the world. We will continue to seize the opportunities at this year's Belt and Road Summit to strengthen connections with ASEAN and Belt and Road countries. We will also set up new consultant offices in Dhaka of Bangladesh and Phnom Penh of Cambodia, further expanding our network along the Belt and Road."

Seizing opportunities and deepening networks in emerging markets

The ASEAN region is Hong Kong's second-largest trading partner and the world's fifth-largest economy. Last year, the bilateral trade value reached US$144.6 billion, accounting for nearly 13% of Hong Kong's total foreign trade. The development potential is enormous. Last month, John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, led a HKTDC delegation to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the three ASEAN countries. The visit was highly fruitful, with 55 cooperation MoUs signed, further expanding Hong Kong's network in the region. Seven of these MoUs were signed between the HKTDC and relevant chambers of commerce, governments, and organisations in the three countries, further strengthening Hong Kong's ties with the regions for future Belt and Road development.

Following the recent fruitful ASEAN mission to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam led by Mr Lee, the Summit will focus on ASEAN and emerging markets in the Policy Dialogue and Business Plenary on day one, with the participation of ministerial-level officials and business heavyweights. The second day's Business Plenary will cover the Middle East and adjacent regions.

In May this year, a Mainland-Hong Kong business delegation led by the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and the Belt and Road Office of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government, co-organised by the HKTDC and the China International Contractors Association, visited Hungary and Kazakhstan to explore Belt and Road business opportunities. Senior officials and business leaders from these two countries will attend the Summit, to strengthen their ties with Hong Kong. Among the speakers, Nurlan Baibazarov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, will deliver a keynote address, while Peter Fekete, Group CEO of 4iG, will participate in the second day's Business Plenary.

Debut Green Chapter to showcase Hong Kong advantages in greentech and finance

Hong Kong's green finance development has been thriving, with the scale of green financing continuing to expand. In 2023, the total amount of green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong surpassed US$50 billion. Among this, the total amount of green and sustainable bonds arranged for issuance in Hong Kong ranked first in the Asian market, accounting for 37% of the total. This has attracted a wealth of green capital and financial products, giving Hong Kong a significant advantage in developing into an international green technology and finance centre. Additionally, the Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong 2035 covered six major areas – green transport, liveable environment, comprehensive emissions reduction, clean energy, scientific management, and regional collaboration – reflecting Hong Kong's determination to proactively address the challenges of climate change.

In view of the growing global focus on green development and the tremendous strides Hong Kong continues to make in that regard, the Summit will debut the Green Chapter, featuring thematic sessions on green construction, innovation, finance and more, enabling participants to explore how to leverage the Hong Kong platform to make their business greener. The co-organising institutions include the China International Contractors Association, HSBC and HKMA Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office.

As the BRI continues to drive regional development, the Business Plenary on the first day of the Summit, themed Capturing Belt and Road Business Opportunities, will explore promising prospects from rapidly rising ASEAN, building on concrete achievements in the past years. The focus will be on Hong Kong’s role in facilitating multilateral business cooperation as well as the strategies global enterprises are adopting under the latest global landscape.

The session will be moderated by K C Chan, Chairman of WeLab Bank. Speakers will include Clara Chan, CEO of Lee Kee Group; Dato’ Seri Cheah Cheng Hye, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Value Partners Group; Ding Yanzhang, Chairman of Power Construction Corporation of China; and Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group.

The Business Plenary on the second day will be themed Tapping the Markets of New Opportunities. The session will be moderated by Ronnie C. Chan, Honorary Chair of Hang Lung Properties Limited. H.E. Mohamed Abduljabbar Alkoheji, Second Vice Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Bonnie Y Chan, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; Peter Fekete, Group CEO of 4iG; Eric Ip, Group Managing Director of Hutchison Port Holdings Limited; and Iqbal Khan, CEO of Fajr Capital, will explore arising opportunities in  the Middle East and other markets along the Belt and Road.

This year, the Summit will feature two new thematic sessions: Multi-dimensional Connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative and People-to-People Exchanges through Business and Cultural Collaboration. In the former session, experts from industries such as shipping, ports, airports, logistics and trade will jointly discuss and delve into the progress and development potential of connectivity among transportation networks. The latter session, co-organised by Standard  Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, aims to explore ways to enhance interconnectivity, mutual understanding and friendly relations among countries within the Belt and Road Initiative through economic and trade cooperation, as well as cultural exchanges.

Other thematic breakout sessions include Mainland-Hong Kong Trade In Services Symposium co-organised with the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China as well as a session on legal cooperation co-organised with the Department of Justice of the HKSAR Government.

As part of the Finance Chapter, co-organised with the Insurance Authority, Financial Services Development Council, Bank of China (Hong Kong), HKMA Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, four sessions will analyse opportunities of leveraging Hong Kong's financial services. For the Youth Chapter, young business leaders will share how they seize opportunities under the BRI.

Connecting global enterprises to facilitate business matching

This year’s Summit will continue to offer investment and business matching. Business matching meetings will provide a full range of services in both physical - 11 and 12 September - and online - 16 and 17 September - forms.

More than 280 investment projects are expected to me matched, with more than 800 one-to-one project matching meetings taking place. The deal-making service includes one-to-one business matching meetings and project investment sessions. Business matching meetings connect participants based on investment preferences and business expertise to facilitate collaboration opportunities.

Project investment sessions enable project owners from different countries to present projects, giving investors and service intermediaries a comprehensive understanding of the investment opportunities in different sectors. Project investment sessions will focus on four main areas: energy, natural resources and public utilities; innovation and technology; urban development; and transport and logistics infrastructure.

The Summit’s exhibition area will gather over 100 exhibitors across the Hong Kong Zone, Global Investment Zone and InnoTech Zone. The Hong Kong Zone will showcase the services and business advantages of Hong Kong service providers, while the Global Investment Zone will present large-scale investment projects, cultural and technological developments as well as global investment opportunities. The InnoTech Zone will feature cutting-edge innovations, AI, technologies and solutions from exhibitors around the globe.

The 9th Belt and Road Summit

Media representatives who would like to conduct interviews with the speakers, please submit interview requests to awong@yuantung.com.hk or lsong@yuantung.com.hk by 6 September.

Photo download: https://bit.ly/4g2t70H

Media enquiries

Yuan Tung Financial Relations:

HKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:

HKTDC Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.