Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Targets Central Asia to Unpack Immense Business Opportunities – a New Paradigm of Mutual Benefit

Chief Executive John Lee is setting his sights on Central Asia. Early next month, he will lead a massive 60-member delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, marking his first trip to the region since taking office. This heavyweight group includes business and industrial leaders from both Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. It stands as the current administration's largest overseas mission in scale, headcount, and corporate coverage. To decode the stakes, a three-day RTHK series — “Government and You: CE Visits Central Asia”—features exclusive interviews with top officials unpacking the immense opportunities.

The strategic roots run deep. In the first episode, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau traces back to President Xi Jinping's 2013 visits to Central Asia and ASEAN. It was in Kazakhstan that Xi first unveiled the "Silk Road Economic Belt," later pairing it with the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" in Indonesia to launch the "Belt and Road Initiative”. Yau underscores Kazakhstan's vital role in this grand vision today, driven by its booming energy and mineral resources sectors.

Financial synergy is already delivering results. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui highlights a major milestone: a Kazakh mining company with Central Asia's largest tungsten project dual-listed in Hong Kong and Kazakhstan last year. This move vividly demonstrates Hong Kong’s global clout and deep connectivity with international capital. The ties are strengthening, as the Development Bank of Kazakhstan also tapped the city’s vibrant offshore Renminbi market last year by issuing 2 billion RMB in "dim sum bonds." Hui makes it clear that more enterprises are welcome to leverage Hong Kong for future equity and debt financing.

Legal integration offers another compelling frontier. Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan notes Kazakhstan’s strong drive to integrate with the international community, marked by the 2018 launch of the Astana International Financial Centre. The key point: future civil and commercial disputes from this hub could be resolved through Hong Kong’s robust common law courts. This creates a golden opportunity for complementary development between the two jurisdictions.

The strategic blueprint is highly ambitious. Announcing the trip this week, Chief Executive John Lee mapped out three primary targets: exploring emerging markets, forging tighter government-to-government ties, and pioneering a hub-to-hub collaboration model. Hong Kong already operates as the premier gateway for foreign capital entering East and Southeast Asia, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan anchor access to Central Asia. By linking these gateways, Lee aims to forge a brand-new corridor that permanently connects the two massive regions.

This mission perfectly aligns with the nation’s long-term "Belt and Road Initiative" strategy. Central Asia is expanding rapidly, generating massive market potential that desperately needs exactly what Hong Kong can offer. From green development and common law services to financial infrastructure, Hong Kong’s unique strengths promise powerful complementary development with the region's growth.

As global supply chains undergo radical restructuring, the Chief Executive is actively taking the initiative. By leading this record-breaking delegation, he is precisely targeting Central Asia's hunger for economic diversification. Playing the ultimate "super connector" and "super value-adder," this trip empowers Hong Kong businesses to go global while successfully bringing in overseas capital and talent to achieve a new paradigm of mutual benefit.

Ariel

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

US President Trump is about to embark on a highly anticipated trip to China. He claims he will bring up Jimmy Lai during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But the reality is mind-boggling. A politician who claims to have been persecuted by fake news for years is now standing up for a convicted criminal who banked on fake news to incite social unrest and undermine the rule of law.

Trump claims to have been persecuted by fake news for years.

Trump laid out his plans in an exclusive interview last Monday (May 4). Speaking with conservative Salem News Channel host Hugh Hewitt, the US President mentioned he had called for Lai's release during a previous meeting with Xi. Trump admitted the Hong Kong issue is not easy to handle. Yet, he promised to bring the matter up again during his upcoming visit.

This stance contradicts his own fierce rhetoric against the media. A political insider points out that Trump consistently slams mainstream outlets like The New York Times and CNN as the "enemy of the people." The President accuses them of fabricating fake news, defaming him personally, and jeopardizing US national security. He even stated publicly that their continuous fake reporting aimed at belittling the President is "seditious, perhaps even treasonous."

Apple Daily and Next Digital represent the exact kind of extreme liberal media Trump despises. Founded by Jimmy Lai, these outlets spent years launching malicious attacks on the Hong Kong SAR Government and Central Government leaders. They used sensational, baseless reporting to incite citizens to hate their country and publicly called for foreign sanctions against China. Their methods for fabricating stories against Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong officials perfectly mirror how American liberal media targets Trump. They rely entirely on making things up out of thin air.

The consequences of this fake news were devastating. During the 2019 anti-extradition bill riot, Apple Daily manufactured rumors like the "K the eye-injury woman" and stories of police firing indiscriminately at protesters. These lies were designed to intensify social conflicts. Fueled by hatred from these reports, many young people took to the streets for violent protests. They only woke up to reality and felt deep remorse after being thrown behind bars.

The court judgment in Jimmy Lai's case made the reality clear. He was not exercising press freedom, but rather using his media outlets as political tools trying to overthrow the Central People's Government. He attempted to push Hong Kong into chaos to invite intervention from Western countries like the US. In Trump's own vocabulary, these twisted actions are nothing short of "seditious" and "treasonous." If Lai produced news using the exact same methods in the United States, he would equally be arrested and prosecuted.

Make no mistake: the Jimmy Lai case is a landmark example of cracking down on fake news and its malicious political influence. If Trump truly opposes fake news, he should support the verdict rather than plead for a convicted criminal and agitator. Standing up for Lai only damages Trump's own image as a fighter against fake news. It also severely undermines respect for China's sovereignty.