Financial Secretary Paul Chan Attends Future Investment Initiative Summit in Saudi Arabia, Promotes Hong Kong's Economic Partnerships.

2025-10-29 09:00 Last Updated At：09:08

FS leads delegation to attend Future Investment Initiative Summit in Saudi Arabia (with photos/video)

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, attended the Future Investment Initiative Summit yesterday (October 28, Riyadh time). He spoke at a key thematic discussion session of the Summit and held meetings with senior government officials and business leaders in the region.

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FS leads delegation to attend Future Investment Initiative Summit in Saudi Arabia (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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FS leads delegation to attend Future Investment Initiative Summit in Saudi Arabia (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

In the morning, Mr Chan attended the opening ceremony of the Summit and spoke at a session titled "Board of Changemakers: Public–Private Powerbrokers". The session brought together leaders from governments and businesses around the world to share insights on how public-private partnerships (PPPs) can foster economic and social development, energy transition, and the advancement of technological sectors, such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology, within the broader context of geopolitical and technological transformation.

Mr Chan shared Hong Kong's experience in promoting various PPP models, including the Build-Operate-Transfer model and the "Rail-plus-Property" model, which have incentivised private sector participation in infrastructure development. He noted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is expediting the development of the Northern Metropolis as a new engine for economic diversification, a key base for innovation and technology industries, and a source of quality employment opportunities. Hong Kong is adopting a more flexible and proactive approach in developing the Northern Metropolis, including streamlining land allocation, importing talent and co-investment arrangements, with a view to accelerating planning, construction and industry development.

Mr Chan also cited the establishment of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) Limited by the HKSAR Government as another example of PPP. As patient capital, the HKIC supports the landing of companies and ecosystem building through co-investment and other means. It also partners with other funds in the market to channel capital into industries of strategic value, helping enhance Hong Kong's long-term competitiveness and create quality jobs for society.

Other speakers in the session included the Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih; the Minister of Planning and Economic Development and Minister of International Cooperation of Egypt, H.E. Dr Rania Al-Mashat; as well as chairpersons and chief executive officers of various multinational corporations.

Mr Chan also attended other thematic sessions of the Summit, including a keynote speech delivered by the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China, Mr Han Zheng.

In addition, Mr Chan held bilateral meetings with a number of local political and business leaders, including the Vice Minister of Finance of Saudi Arabia, Mr Abdulmuhsen bin Saad Alkhalaf; the Group Chief Executive Officer of Diriyah Company, Mr Jerry Inzerillo; the Chief Executive Officer of New Murabba Development Company under the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Mr Michael Dyke; and the Chief Financial Officer of Red Sea Global, Mr Martin Greenslade.

In the evening, Mr Chan attended a business seminar hosted by China Investment Corporation and delivered a keynote speech. He pointed out that the Middle East has set out an ambitious development vision and possesses strong growth momentum. At the same time, China is pursuing high-quality development, including a high-level two-way opening-up. There is vast room for collaboration between the two regions in areas such as capital, technology and industrial connectivity.

Mr Chan said that Hong Kong, as the world's freest economy, enjoys distinctive advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle. These include the common law system, free flow of capital, goods and information, a simple and low tax regime, and a linked exchange rate system between the Hong Kong dollar and the US dollar. As the world's No. 3 international financial centre, Hong Kong is not only an international fundraising and professional services platform for Mainland enterprises going global, but also an ideal gateway for Middle Eastern businesses to access the Mainland market. He noted that around 300 Mainland enterprises are in the pipeline for listing in Hong Kong, many of which plan to expand into the Middle East.

Mr Chan also highlighted Hong Kong's leading position in offshore Renminbi (RMB) business, asset and wealth management, as well as the family office sector. Hong Kong is the world's largest offshore RMB hub. With increasing trade between China and Saudi Arabia settled in local currencies, the demand for RMB-denominated assets and risk management products is expected to grow. Hong Kong is also Asia's premier centre for asset and wealth management, with assets under management exceeding US$4.5 trillion and a vibrant ecosystem for family offices. He extended a sincere invitation to more enterprises and institutions from Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East to leverage Hong Kong's platform, and join hands to open a new chapter in cooperation between Asia and the Middle East.

Mr Chan will continue his visit to Saudi Arabia today (October 29, Riyadh time).

Global Business Summit Launches in Hong Kong, Showcasing Finance and Innovation Opportunities Across Industries

Inaugural Global Business Summit Brings Global Leaders Together to Drive Finance-Industry Integration

The inaugural Global Business Summit (GBS) was successfully held today (January 27) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, providing forward-looking, multi-dimensional insights into the prospects, challenges, and opportunities facing various industries.

The GBS was held on the second day of the annual flagship event, the Asian Financial Forum. It was jointly organised by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. With over 3 500 global leaders in attendance, the event highlighted Hong Kong's unique role as a "Super Connector" and "Super Value-Adder," further solidifying the city's position as international financial and innovation and technology (I&T) hubs.

Echoing the theme of "Finance Empowering Business," the GBS focused on strategies for financial–industrial integration and the latest market trends. Discussions included life and health technology, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, new energy, fintech, and other fast-growing sectors. Participants explored how cross-sector collaboration can generate synergies, drive industrial upgrading, and leverage Hong Kong's strength as a financial and trading centre to support Chinese Mainland enterprises in going global. This collaboration also aims to attract more international capital to reinforce and foster ecosystem development, strengthening Hong Kong's role in finance and innovation.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, stressed the importance of Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre. Henotedthat empowering industries through finance would foster deeperintegrationand collaborative development between finance and industry. He stated in hisopening remarks "Looking ahead, trade, finance and innovation and technology will be the three principal drivers of our economic growth." Mr Chan pointed out that tailored incentive packages, such as land grants, premium concessions, tax incentives and other facilitation measures, would be prepared to welcome technology enterprises to establish a presence in the Northern Metropolis.

OASES, as a co-organiser of the GBS, actively engaged with global leaders from existing and potential strategic enterprises across various sectors, including AI & Data Science, fintech, advanced manufacturing and new energy technology, and life and health technology, enabling them to exchange ideas as guest speakers and provide professional and diverse industry perspectives.

The Director-General of OASES, Mr Peter Yan, said, "The successful debut of the GBS fully demonstrates Hong Kong's unique status as both the global financial and I&T hubs. The GBS has become an important platform for international collaboration, underscoring Hong Kong's strategic role in driving deeper integration between finance and industry, and providing global enterprises with new opportunities to explore and unlock value."

Since its establishment, OASES has actively promoted Hong Kong's unique advantages and policies, successfully attracting more than 100 strategic enterprises to set up in the city. These enterprises are expected to bring in approximately HK$60 billion of investment and create more than 22 000 quality jobs, further strengthening Hong Kong's position as an I&T hub.

Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, a leading global innovative pharmaceutical enterprise, actively participated in the GBS and joined the thematic panel titled "Biomedicine 2026: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities". The panel provided an indepth analysis of the latest developments in the global biomedical technology industry and examined the opportunities and challenges facing by the sector. Topics covered included cuttingedge scientific breakthroughs, transformation in clinical application, regulatory changes, and how cross-sector collaboration can drive continuous innovation in life and health technology.

The Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, Mr Dai Hongbin, said, "Hengrui places significant importance on Hong Kong's strategic position in the international innovation ecosystem. We are excited to enhance our collaboration with OASES to drive advancements, promote breakthroughs in biomedical technology through research, clinical practice and industrialisation, while actively contributing to the development of Hong Kong's innovation ecosystem." He also noted that the GBS serves as a stage for pharmaceutical enterprises to share knowledge on life and health science and medical innovation from various perspectives, fostering collaboration across sectors and global resource integration.

Vice President and Chief Economist of JD Group, Dr Shen Jianguang,joined a thematic panel discussion titled "AI Infrastructure: Driving Intelligent Supply" with other distinguished guests. The session delved into strategies for the practical use of AI technologies, investment priorities, and fostering industrial collaboration. It explored the growing importance of AI infrastructure as a key component of intelligent supply chains, smart manufacturing, and innovative business models, and its significant impact on the global industrial landscape.

Dr Shen noted that Hong Kong provides a vibrant and highly internationalised environment for AI enterprises, enabling them to expand their businesses and drive innovation. He emphasised that the GBS is a valuable platform that promotes the exchange of ideas and crosssector collaboration, while also creating important opportunities to explore new growth and advance industrial upgrading.

Dr Shen said, "With the rapid development of AI infrastructure, Hong Kong plays a greater role in data science, fintech and smart manufacturing, serving as a strategic hub linking the Chinese Mainland with international markets. We look forward to deepening co-operation with OASES through the GBS, driving the application of AI technologies across broader industrial scenarios, and contributing to the continued growth of Hong Kong's innovation ecosystem."

Moving forward, OASES will continuously align with the National 15th FiveYear Plan to elevate Hong Kong's status as a leading international hub for finance, shipping, trade, and innovation and technology. OASES will continue to leverage Hong Kong's unique role as a "Super Connector" and "Super ValueAdder" to accelerate growth in finance and I&T, and deepen global interactions. OASES will continue to attract high-potential technology enterprises to set up in Hong Kong and support them to thrive globally through our city. This initiative is designed to drive significant advancements in key emerging industries: AI & Data Science, fintech, life and health technology, advanced manufacturing and new energy technology, and cultural and creative technology. Ultimately, these efforts are intended to further solidify Hong Kong's competitive position as a global I&T hub.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Attends Future Investment Initiative Summit in Saudi Arabia, Promotes Hong Kong's Economic Partnerships.