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The eighth edition of the two-day Belt and Road Summit started on Wednesday in Hong Kong with 17 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed, expanding the scope of cooperation among participating countries and regions.
The MoUs were signed by companies from Hong Kong, Mainland China, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Kazakhstan.
Under the theme “Prospering on a Decade of Collaboration”, the summit will enable a vital platform for Belt and Road-related business exchange.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council jointly organized the summit at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
This year’s summit marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Operating under the theme of Prospering on a Decade of Collaboration, it will see participation from more than 90 government officials and business leaders from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as other relevant countries and regions.
The summit introduced the Middle East forum for the first time.
The first session, held today, focused on “Tapping into the Potential of the Middle East”, aiming to explore strategies for businesses entering the Middle East market and strengthening economic, trade, and investment ties between the regions. Guest speakers included Fahd bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed, Advisor in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, UAE and Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Arab Republic of Egypt.
One session within this segment, Business and Investment Outlook in the Middle East Market, is scheduled for Thursday.
The panel discussion will include Maher Abound, Chief Executive Officer of Ghassan Abound Group; Ahmed Obaid Yousef Al Qaseer, Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah Investment Development Authority; Hossam Heiba, President of the General Authority for Investment & Free Zones; and Walid Majdalani, Managing Director Corporate Investment for Middle East and North Africa of Investcorp.
The session aims to analyse the trade and investment prospects of Middle Eastern markets and further strengthen the connection between Hong Kong and Middle Eastern countries.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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