Hong Kong is continuing to strengthen ties with Central Asia.
A high-level delegation led by Paul Lam, the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Secretary for Justice, visited Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in late August to showcase Hong Kong’s capabilities in international financial, legal and dispute resolution services.
Delegates included representatives from Hong Kong’s professional services sectors, as well as legal professionals from Xinjiang.
They participated in site visits, business exchanges and thematic seminars as part of a promotional campaign called ‘Collaborate2Win – Hong Kong’s Professional Services – Your Partner for Global Success’.
The campaign – jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Department of Justice – fostered regional exchanges and explored Belt and Road opportunities. This deepened cooperation between Hong Kong and the region following another high-level mission to Central Asia in June, led by Hong Kong's Chief Execuive John Lee.
In his opening reamarks during a Collaborate2Win seminar held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Mr Lam, Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice, said: “While Hong Kong is a leading common law jurisdiction providing reliable and top quality international legal services, the city has been making tremendous efforts to use its common law advantages to maintain and promote Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. Hong Kong can be Kazakhstan's important and even indispensable partner.”
Speaking at the same event, HKTDC Associate Executive Director Anna Cheung highlighted how the Council promotes global trade and investment, while helping businesses explore new markets and seize emerging opportunities.
“By leveraging Kazakhstan’s role as a gateway to Central Asia and Hong Kong’s unique strengths as a superconnector and super value-adder linking the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world, we facilitate closer economic and trade ties between regions,” she stated.
Central Asia is one of the focus areas for the 2026 Belt and Road Summit, an annual gathering of political and business leaders co-organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the HKTDC.
This year’s Summit will be held in Hong Kong on 9-10 September. “We look forward to welcoming more delegates from Central Asia to Hong Kong and working together to take cross-regional cooperation to new heights,” Ms Cheung said.
Insights and exchanges
The Collaborate2Win seminar, themed ‘Hong Kong – A Premier Financial Hub with Common Law Advantages – Your Indispensable Partner for Global Success’, brought together speakers from the government and the financial, legal, tax and international arbitration sectors.
Discussions covered Hong Kong’s role in the Belt and Road Initiative, developments in the city as an international financial centre, how the common law system supports corporate financing and investment, the advantages of tax planning through Hong Kong, and its position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre.
Umiraliyev Zhandos Zhanibekovich, First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Su Fangqiu, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty, also spoke at the event.
The seminar and subsequent networking luncheon attracted more than 160 participants.
During the visit, the delegation also met with government authorities and industry organisations.
In Xinjiang, the delegation met: Chen Xiaojiang, Secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Committee; Liu Jiansheng, Party Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; and Naibijiang Yibulayimu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director-General of the Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
In Kazakhstan, the delegation visited the Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan and exchanged views with Mainland enterprises and law firms operating in the country.
In Uzbekistan, the delegation met: Yu Jun, Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan; Umid Abidhadjaev, Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance; and Ilzat Kasimov, Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade.
Delegates also engaged with the China Enterprise Association in Uzbekistan, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and Tashkent International Arbitration Centre, and the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
During its stay in Uzbekistan, the delegation also visited Tashkent State University of Law and the Islamic Civilization Center.