John Lee says ‘free and open’ Hong Kong can promote cultural exchanges under belt and road plan, invites world leaders to visit city amid ‘strong’ tourism recovery

Hong Kong as a free and open city is well-positioned to foster people-to-people exchanges under the Belt and Road Initiative, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said, as he invited world leaders to visit the financial hub during its “strong” tourism recovery.

The city leader on Wednesday also touted Hong Kong’s role as a cultural hub connecting China with the rest of the world, as he addressed hundreds of attendees at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

“We attach great importance to the development of soft connectivity under the belt and road strategy,” Lee said, referring to China’s plan to grow global trade.

“Hong Kong people are biliterate and trilingual, and well-versed in the business environment and culture of both the international community and mainland China. Hong Kong’s diversified professional services are among the world’s best … pressing ahead with the high-quality development of belt and road projects.”

Lee also highlighted Hong Kong’s strengths in financial services and logistics, saying that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and high-speed rail link connecting the city to the mainland served as gateways for the flow of people and goods between the region and the rest of the world.

“As our tourism industry sees a strong recovery, we look forward to welcoming friends from our belt and road partners to Hong Kong. Together, we can enhance mutual learning and build a global community with a shared future in this free and open city,” he said.

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He told a forum at the conference attended by world leaders, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, that the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the M+ museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District had emerged as popular attractions for visitors amid a strong recovery in tourism.

Earlier in the day, Xi unveiled an eight-point vision for the belt and road strategy at the forum’s opening ceremony, promising to forge more free-trade agreements and foster people-to-people exchanges.

Xi also pledged to work with other countries to build laboratories to push forward developments in science and an initiative to promote artificial intelligence research.

City leader Lee said during a media stand-up after the opening ceremony that some of Xi’s remarks were closely related to Hong Kong.

He said Hong Kong would strive to turn itself into a global innovation and technology hub, and it could cooperate with different mainland cities by integrating into the overall development of the country.

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“There is a lot that we can do, especially in the Lok Ma Chau loop,” he said, referring to the planned Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park along the border between the city and neighbouring Shenzhen.

“In the joint development of the belt and road plan, Hong Kong has unlimited room for contribution in science and technology, and we will work hard on it after I return to the city,” he added.

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The belt and road strategy was launched by China in 2013 with the goal of promoting trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe and Africa. Authorities have increasingly emphasised the importance of cultural exchanges under the plan.

Lee on Tuesday touted the city’s advantages under the “one country, two systems” governance principle at the first event of the summit and invited businesses to set up offices in the financial hub to tap into opportunities offered by the trade plan.