Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu Summarises Outcomes of Central Asia Visit in Tashkent

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Thursday (4 June) held a media briefing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to summarise the achievements of his official visit to Central Asia.

Accompanied by a business delegation comprising 75 representatives from Hong Kong and mainland enterprises as well as professionals, Lee visited two major countries in Central Asia — Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The delegation attended more than 20 events and inspected multiple projects in finance, innovation and technology, and infrastructure. Lee described the visit as highly successful, yielding eight major outcomes.

During the trip, a total of 96 cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed, involving a combined value exceeding US$1.65 billion.

Lee met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Presidential Strategic Development Advisor Sardor Umurzakov, and Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev. The two sides reached consensus on strengthening cooperation across multiple areas, including finance, trade, aviation, and infrastructure.

Later the same day, Lee attended a business dinner co-hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, where he promoted Hong Kong’s business opportunities and advantages to Uzbek business leaders, highlighting the city’s roles as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”.

On Friday, the delegation will visit Uzbekistan’s IT Park technology park, where Lee will meet with First Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies Mr. Sultanov. The delegation will also hold meetings with Uzbek business representatives, attended by local leaders and senior officials.

Eight Major Outcomes Achieved

As the delegation is scheduled to conclude the Central Asia visit on Friday, Lee presented a summary of the eight key outcomes:

1. High-level government contacts and consensus established

High-level exchanges were strengthened, and consensus was reached on cooperation in multiple fields. Notably, the Uzbek Government has agreed to establish a Consulate General in Hong Kong.

2. Multiple agreements signed

At the government level, Hong Kong signed or exchanged 8 documents with Kazakhstan and 7 with Uzbekistan (15 in total), covering commerce, education, and development projects. At the business and institutional level, 53 agreements/MoUs were concluded with Kazakhstan and 28 with Uzbekistan (81 in total), spanning economy and trade, investment, finance, technology, aviation, and other sectors, with a total value exceeding US$1.65 billion.

3. Negotiations on bilateral agreements to commence

Hong Kong will begin negotiations with both countries on comprehensive double taxation avoidance agreements and bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements. Additionally, Hong Kong Customs and Uzbek Customs will initiate discussions on mutual recognition of Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) to facilitate customs clearance and enhance trade efficiency.

4. Industry-level project matching and R&D collaboration deepened

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), local banks, and financial institutions will cooperate with financial institutions in both countries. Hong Kong Science Park, Cyberport, and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park will strengthen research exchanges with counterpart institutions. The Airport Authority Hong Kong will also collaborate with Almaty International Airport to promote aviation development.

5. Hong Kong’s “going out” platform delivers concrete results

Hong Kong and mainland enterprises “sailed together”, leveraging complementary strengths. This was the first overseas visit led by the Chief Executive following the establishment of the mainland enterprises’ “going out” task force last year. The collaboration produced synergistic effects, resulting in the 81 business agreements/MoUs.

6. Enhanced personnel mobility

Hong Kong airlines will launch direct flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the first quarter of 2027. The civil aviation transport agreement between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan has been initialled, enabling airlines from both sides to operate services using the granted traffic rights. On visas, both countries have agreed to extend mutual visa-free stay to 30 days, with implementation to be arranged as soon as possible.

7. Humanities and cultural exchanges strengthened

Hong Kong universities will collaborate with higher education institutions and foundations in both countries to promote education, research, and talent exchanges. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will establish a partnership with the National History Museum of Uzbekistan to jointly organise exhibitions in the future.

8. Hub-to-hub cooperation endorsed

Both sides agreed to pursue broader and higher-quality collaboration through hub-to-hub partnerships, increase high-level mutual visits, support each other’s events, and jointly expand international networks.

The visit is expected to further consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a key super connector under the Belt and Road Initiative and open new opportunities for Hong Kong and mainland enterprises in the Central Asian market.