Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), this year’s flagship Summit adopted “Collaborate for Change – Shape a Shared Future” as its theme.

In his welcoming speech, HKSAR’s Chief Executive John Lee said, “Over the past 10 years, more than 45 000 people from over 120 countries and regions have participated in the Summit.”

HKSAR’s Chief Executive John Lee says that Hong Kong is the ideal Belt and Road hub.

“Together, they have presented over 2 800 projects along the Belt and Road, shaping a shared vision through collaboration and connectivity, which are the fundamental values of the Belt and Road Initiative.”

This year’s Summit yielded a record high of 45 government and enterprise memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and commercial agreements, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as the functional platform for the B&RI. The total value of these MOUs and agreements, together with new projects and deals finalised before the Summit, is close to US$1 billion.

Hong Kong is also a leading fund-raising hub for Belt and Road economies. In fact, more than 100 Belt and Road companies are listed on the HKEX, with more to come.

“Hong Kong is the ideal Belt and Road hub,” said Mr Lee. “As the only world city that converges both the China advantage and the global advantage, Hong Kong stands as the premier gateway for co-operation, bridging people, trade, business, education, culture and values across the region, connecting Asia and the world.”

Mr Lee also introduced Hong Kong’s powerful advantages – the city’s status as a global financial centre, its trusted legal system, trade and investment, competitiveness, talent, connectivity, and sustainable development.

On talent, Mr Lee cited that under the HKSAR Government’s Belt and Road Scholarship and other programmes, more than 4 000 students from Belt and Road countries enroll in Hong Kong’s world-class tertiary programmes every year.

During the Summit, a number of thematic sessions covering areas such as legal services, trade and commerce, insurance, architecture, green finance and logistics were held to advance a more prosperous, green and interconnected future for Belt and Road countries and regions.

The Commissioner for Belt and Road of the HKSAR Government, Nicholas Ho (third left), speaks at one of the Summit’s thematic sessions which were held to foster a more prosperous, green and interconnected future for Belt and Road countries and regions.

Major Belt and Road projects and events are also staging global roadshows in Hong Kong. They include the Future Investment Initiative PRIORITY Summit in 2023, the recent Saudi Super Cup football tournament, and LEAP – one of the Middle East’s largest tech expos, which chose Hong Kong for its first global edition, LEAP East, to be held next year.

Around the Summit period, more than 20 Belt and Road-related activities are also being held. They cover trade and business, arts and culture, music, sports and academia.

Among the events are “Wonders of Imperial Carpets: Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha” exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum until October 6, and Belt and Road – Long Yu & Behzod Abduraimov concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra on September 27.