As Chief Executive John Lee prepares to lead a delegation to Central Asia in early June, a key figure in the city’s financial sector believes the region is a key market to watch.
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX) Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Chan will join the delegation which will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, aiming to expand Hong Kong’s economic and trade ties with Central Asia.
Managing Director & Head of Global Issuer Services at HKEX Johnson Chui（left）.Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX) Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Chan（right）.
She remarked that last year’s dual listing of a mining company in Hong Kong and Kazakhstan shows there is room for deeper co-operation between the two markets.
Ms Chan added that she hopes the visit will create opportunities to connect with more local enterprises, and believes more Central Asian companies will look to Hong Kong as a fundraising platform.
She said HKEX has noted growing interest from Central Asian companies in tapping Hong Kong for fundraising beyond the equities market.
“There is actually a strong indication of interest in terms of these Central Asian companies issuing bonds.
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX) Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Chan.
“Dim sum bonds, I think, have been increasingly popular, so I think this coincides with Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing’s strategy to diversify beyond equities.”
Meanwhile, Managing Director & Head of Global Issuer Services at HKEX Johnson Chui said several successful fundraising cases involving Hong Kong last year have helped boost interest from Central Asia.
Mr Chui said a number of Kazakhstani issuers had successfully completed fundraising and listings in Hong Kong through dim sum bonds last year, drawing the attention of stakeholders in Central Asia.
He added that during a recent trip to the region, various entities had expressed interest in learning more about the Hong Kong market and how they could tap it, whether through dim sum bonds or potentially a dual listing.
Managing Director & Head of Global Issuer Services at HKEX Johnson Chui.
CFS finds trace amount of Enterococci in samples of individual batches of bottled mineral water
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 28) that two samples of bottled mineral water were found to contain trace amount of Enterococci. The CFS is following up on the incident.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "Under its routine Food Surveillance Programme, the CFS collected bottled mineral water samples at retail level for microbiological testing, including tests for Escherichia coli, Coliform bacteria, Enterococci, Spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The test results showed that two samples of the individual batches of bottled mineral water below contained Enterococci at a level of one Colony Forming Unit in 250 millilitres, while all other tested parameters (Escherichia coli, coliform bacteria, Spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were satisfactory (i.e. not detected).
According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, Enterococci shall not be tested presence in bottled natural mineral water. As a precautionary measure, the CFS has informed the retailers/distributors concerned to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected batches of the products below. The distributors concerned have also initiated voluntary recalls of the affected batches of the products concerned. Members of the public may call the respective hotlines below during office hours for enquiries about the recalls.
Product details are as follows:
Product name: Still Scottish Mountain Water
Brand: Marks & Spencer
Volume: 750ml
Best-before date: December 2026
Distributor: ALF Retail Hong Kong Limited
Hotline: 3656 2253
Product name: LOTTE ICIS Natural Mineral Water 8.0
Brand: Lotte
Volume: 2 litres
Best-before date: September 22, 2027
Distributor: Goldtop Century Ltd
Hotline: 2632 7373
Since January 2026, the CFS has collected 50 samples of bottled drinking water for testing. Apart from the two unsatisfactory samples mentioned above, all other samples passed the tests.
"Enterococci are a group of bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals, generally posing a low risk to healthy individuals. However, certain strains may cause infections in immunocompromised individuals. Members of the public should stop consuming the affected batches of the natural mineral water. Anyone who feels unwell after consuming the products, such as experiencing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or fever etc, should seek medical treatment," a spokesman for the CFS said.
The CFS had alert the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.
Source: AI-found images
