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Hong Kong economy
Opinion
SCMP Editorial
Editorial
SCMP Editorial

For Hong Kong and Central Asia, the real work lies ahead

Building on the success of Chief Executive John Lee’s June trip, both sides must now build a durable commercial architecture

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A view of Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 29. Photo: Photothek via Getty Images
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.

Hong Kong’s expanding engagement with Central Asia represents more than a commercial drive. It signals a strategic recalibration that, if pursued with discipline and realism, could position the city as an indispensable bridge between East and Central Asia at a moment when traditional corridors of trade and exchange face mounting strain.

Both sides must now move beyond aspirational declarations to overcome challenges constraining regional commerce. The concrete outcomes Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu reported at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference in Astana this week already indicate initial success. They were tangible follow-through on the trip Lee led to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in June – a mission that produced 96 deals worth US$1.65 billion.

Over 300 business leaders from the region attended the conference, marking the first time a Hong Kong media outlet organised a major event in Kazakhstan and demonstrating how the media industry can actively facilitate the city’s “superconnector” mission.

The SCMP signed a memorandum with Nazarbayev University, Central Asia’s top-ranked institution where President Xi Jinping first announced the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.

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