FSTB and Central Bank of Uzbekistan foster closer gold market co-operation
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, and Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) Mr Abror Mirzo Olimov, exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Belt and Road Summit 2026 today (September 9) to foster closer gold market co-operation between the two sides.
The MOU signifies a fruitful outcome of the successful visit to Central Asia in June this year by a high-level Hong Kong delegation led by the Chief Executive, further deepening government-to-government ties between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Uzbekistan is one of the world's most gold-rich countries by production, geological endowment and official holdings. The MOU provides a structured framework for Hong Kong and Uzbekistan to explore how Hong Kong's international financial platform and precious metals market infrastructure can complement Uzbekistan's strengths as a major gold-producing and reserve-holding jurisdiction. The two sides will work closely on key areas of mutual interest, including exchanging information, knowledge and experience on the gold and precious metals market and operating related financial market infrastructure; services provided by the gold central clearing and settlement system of the Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing Company Limited (HKPMCC); and opportunities and conditions for the CBU's potential participation in precious metals operations in Hong Kong through the HKPMCC.
Mr Hui said, "The National 15th Five-Year Plan Outline explicitly supports Hong Kong in building a comprehensive commodity trading ecosystem. Today's MOU with the CBU is a concrete step forward towards realising the important strategy of our nation and Hong Kong by deepening the ties with one of our key partners under the Belt and Road Initiative. As I have shared with my counterparts during the meetings with the CBU in May and June earlier this year, Hong Kong's internationalised and trusted financial market and Uzbekistan's rich gold endowment and its drive to attract international capital investment are a perfect pairing. I look forward to working closely with the CBU to exchange experience, study market infrastructure including the HKPMCC, and explore practical pathways for future co-operation that can benefit both sides and the wider region."
Mr Abror Mirzo Olimov said, "This MOU marks an important step forward in the growing financial partnership between financial authorities of Uzbekistan and Hong Kong. As one of the world's leading gold-producing nations, Uzbekistan places great importance on diversifying and strengthening the infrastructure that supports our precious metals sector. We look forward to working close with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB)and Hong Kong's financial institutions to pursue co-operation that supports the long-term diversification and resilience of our gold market."
Mr Hui also joined today the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov, to co-host a roundtable meeting with the Hong Kong financial sector and companies. At the meeting, participants engaged in fruitful discussions on deepening practical co-operation and exploring concrete investment opportunities in Uzbekistan, with a focus on expanding Hong Kong enterprises' international footprint and establishing long-term strategic partnerships.
The FSTB will host a bilateral meeting with the CBU tomorrow (September 10) to discuss in detail the visions outlined in the MOU. The FSTB will also continue to work with other Belt and Road partners, industry and regulators to advance Hong Kong's development as an international gold and commodities hub.
FSTB and Central Bank of Uzbekistan foster closer gold market co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FSTB and Central Bank of Uzbekistan foster closer gold market co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FSTB and Central Bank of Uzbekistan foster closer gold market co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing
The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, led a delegation from the Department of Health (DH) to Beijing today (September 9) to pay a visit to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). In addition to exchanging information on the latest progress in promoting scientific regulation and innovation in drugs and medical devices, both sides also signed a co-operation agreement to further deepen collaborations and exchanges in testing technologies of Chinese medicine (CM) and the internationalisation of CM standards. On the same day, the DH and the Beijing Municipal Health Commission (BJHC) co-hosted the Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference, with a view to jointly advancing the high-quality healthcare development in Hong Kong.
Witnessed by the Commissioner of the NMPA, Mr Huang Guo, Dr Lam and the Director General of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the NMPA, Ms He Li, signed a co-operation agreement on research for CM testing and standards to further extend and deepen collaboration in this area, which has spanned more than a decade.
Under the co-operation agreement, both sides will strengthen exchanges and collaborations in the standards and technologies of CM covering research on and formulation of standards for Chinese Materia Medica, CM decoction pieces, proprietary CM and CM granules; the development of testing technologies; as well as safety tests and risk control for the quality of CM, through multiple channels such as expert meetings, seminars and training. Both sides will also deepen talent training and technical interfacing in accordance with the co-operation agreement, with a view to promoting CM standards and testing technology innovation in alignment with international standards.
Dr Lam thanked the NMPA and its affiliated institution, the National Institute for Drug Control (NIDC), for their longstanding support for CM development in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The permanent building of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute under the DH commenced operations late last year. The Chinese Medicines Herbarium inside has received professional technical guidance from the NMPA and the NIDC, and was endowed with more than 300 valuable and representative specimens of Chinese Materia Medica commonly used nationwide, enriching its collections and enhancing public understanding of CM.
Dr Lam remarked that the Outline of the National 15th Five-Year Plan has promulgated to advance the inheritance and innovation of CM and to promote its global expansion. The DH will actively leverage its technical strengths in CM testing and quality control to become an important anchor for CM going global, and to strengthen the exploration, utilisation and research of global medicinal resources. This co-operation arrangement will extend the longstanding close collaboration, and further enhance testing expertise level as well as quality and safety control of CM to promote the development of Hong Kong as a bridgehead for CM going global.
Regarding scientific regulation and innovative development of drugs and medical devices, Dr Lam also introduced the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation, the preparatory work for the 30th Global Harmonization Working Party Annual Meeting and Technical Committee Meeting scheduled for December this year, and the progress of the 2026 annual bilateral work plan, covering issues on strengthening cross-boundary drug regulation and enhancing training and exchanges between the two sides in different areas such as primary evaluation of new drugs and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) for clinical trials of pharmaceutical products.
In the afternoon of the same day, upon the invitation of the BJHC, the DH co-hosted the annual Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services. Other co-organisers included the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Beijing Municipal Disease Prevention and Control Administration, the Beijing Hospitals Authority and the Cross-straits Medicine Exchange Association. The theme of this year's conference is "Beijing and Hong Kong, Join Hands for a Shared Healthy Future", focusing on discussions of smart healthcare, transformation of scientific achievements, inheritance and innovation of CM and public health emergency response.
Dr Lam said that this year is significant as it marks the beginning of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. Under the principle of complementing each other in bringing about mutual benefits, the DH will continue to promote exchanges and collaborations with Beijing, actively integrate into and serve the overall national development, and implement a health-first development strategy to fully leverage Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of having strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world to contribute to a "Healthy China".
At the meeting, DH representatives shared how, under the framework of building a health big data ecosystem, Hong Kong's Electronic Health System (eHealth) connects the public and private healthcare sectors to enable realtime sharing of electronic health records, empower citizens to manage their own health, and optimise the allocation of healthcare resources through bigdata analytics. They also introduced Hong Kong's CM regulatory regime and the formulation of CM standards and advancing innovations in testing. Representatives also highlighted Hong Kong's commitment to strengthening primary healthcare under the guiding principle of "prevention first, community-based". The reform is being deepened through chronic disease co-care, intensified tobacco control, and the development of community networks. These measures aim to integrate health management into daily life and encourage citizens to take on the role of being the "first person responsible" for their own health.
During Dr Lam's stay in Beijing, he will also attend some activities on Health and Wellness Service at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, and pay a visit to related public health authorities.
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Director of Health signs co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines with NMPA and attends Beijing-Hong Kong Health Cooperation Exchange Conference co-hosted with BJHC in Beijing Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
