The 9th Belt and Road Summit finished in Hong Kong last Friday, bringing to a close a packed two-day schedule of pitching, deal-making and networking events focused on developing business in the Belt and Road countries and regions.
Under the banner of “Building a Connected, Innovative and Green Belt and Road”, the summit was co-organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) as a key event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Over 6,000 business participants from more than 70 countries and regions attended the event.
Over 280 investment projects were matched at the event in sectors, including energy, public utilities, technology, urban development and transport and logistics infrastructure.
25 G2G and B2B memoranda of understanding were announced between government bodies and companies from Hong Kong, Mainland China, ASEAN - Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam - and the Middle East - Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates - Kazakhstan and more.
An agreement between the HKTDC and the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia promises to facilitate trade missions and business matching between Cambodian and Hong Kong companies as well as promoting Hong Kong's advantages to Cambodian businesses.
Many projects announced at the summit have a focus on sustainability and technology solutions. Farmacy International from Hong Kong and FutureBright Society Enterprise from Australia announced a strategic joint venture that aims to drive sustainability in agricultural innovation and develop scalable green food networks across Australia and New Zealand.
State-Owned Enterprise of Indonesia - Perumda Varia Niaga Samarinda, LINKTA Technologies Holdings from Indonesia and Rainmaker Ventures Holdings from Hong Kong announced that they will cooperate to develop investment in smart chicken farms and agriculture in Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital region.
More than 110 exhibitors promoted products and services at the summit including more than 50 trade and service enterprises from Mainland China, which highlighted innovative achievements in areas, such as greentech, culture and creativity, cross-border e-commerce, cloud services and big data.
Featured speakers at the summit included John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Dr Peter K N Lam, Chairman of the HKTDC, Li Yongjie, Deputy China International Trade Representative of the Ministry of Commerce, Gou Ping, Vice Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and Xiao Weiming, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Development and Reform Commission.
A keynote address was delivered by H.E. Nguyen Hoa Binh, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam.
Other speakers included Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, Chen Liang, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Management Committee of China International Capital Corporation Limited, and Dilma Rousseff, President of New Development Bank.
