A visitor walks past the logo of the fourth Belt and Road Summit at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, Sept 11, 2019. (PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)
Government and business leaders at the seventh Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong will explore how the Belt and Road Initiative can be leveraged through the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the world’s largest free trade bloc, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), to generate business and investment.
The online and in-person event is being jointly organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and Hong Kong Trade Development Council. It will be heldtake place on Aug 31 and Sept 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
For the first time, the seventh Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong will host the global business connectivity forum to highlight how the summit can contribute to multilateral collaboration, and achieve synergies by strengthening connections between projects and corporates
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will host the opening session, at which a keynote speech will be delivered online by Zhang Xiangchen, deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization, the HKTDC announced.
The BRI promotes economic co-operation and fuses the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. The RCEP, which became effective on Jan 1, combines 15 Asia-Pacific economies. Hong Kong submitted an application to join the bloc the following month.
ALSO READ: HK to seize BRI opportunities using global connections
Two business plenaries will be held on the first day. “Collaborate for a Bright New Era” will be in the morning, and “Capturing Synergies between Belt and Road and Greater Bay Area” will be in the afternoon. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will speak at the morning session.
“Capturing Synergies between Belt and Road and Greater Bay Area”, hosted by David YK Wong, permanent honorary president of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, will be in the afternoon.
The summit also will host online and offline exhibitions, under the Global Investment Zone, Hong Kong Zone, and GBA Tech Zone.
For the first time, the event will host the global business connectivity forum to highlight how the summit can contribute to multilateral collaboration, and achieve synergies by strengthening connections between projects and corporates.
The HKTDC said 80 government officials and business people from Belt and Road countries and regions, as well as project owners and operators, investors and service providers, will join.
READ MORE: CE highlights Hong Kong's advantages in B&R cooperation
At last year’s gathering, more than 260 investment projects spanning 42 countries and regions were discussed, and 770 one-to-one project-matching sessions were held. These sessions will be extended this year from two to seven days (Aug 31 to Sept 6).