Following the successful conclusion of a visit by a Hong Kong business delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from 1 to 5 June, the Alatau City Authority, a state body of Kazakhstan, promptly held the Alatau City Investment Round Table in Hong Kong on 11 June. The event, part of an official visit by a Kazakh delegation to Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, reflects increasingly close ties between the two sides and demonstrates proactive efforts to build on the outcomes of the recent visit and sustain the momentum of cooperation.
The roundtable was attended by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, John Lee, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Kanat Bozumbayev, along with representatives from government bodies, leading enterprises, financial institutions, and investors from Kazakhstan, the Chinese Mainland, and Hong Kong. Participants explored the latest developments, investment opportunities, and key initiatives of Alatau City, a new greenfield project located near Almaty, across sectors including fintech, the low-altitude economy, smart city development, and infrastructure.
John Lee highlighted Hong Kong's unique advantages: "Kazakhstan's ambitious reforms and its open, welcoming attitude towards international partners were both welcome and impressive. And Hong Kong is eager to build on this momentum, to explore wide-ranging business and investment co-operation with Kazakhstan - Alatau City very much included. I can tell you Hong Kong shares your commitment to openness and connectivity. Under the unique 'one country, two systems' principle, we are the only world city to combine the China advantage and the global advantage."
Silas Chu, Director of Exhibitions and Digital Business of HKTDC, emphasized the council's role: "The HKTDC's role is to promote Hong Kong as an international business platform through our global network of 51 offices. We attach huge importance to the Central Asian market. The fact that we opened our Almaty consultant office back in 2018 speaks for itself. And through our business platforms, including those we co-organise with the Hong Kong SAR government, such as the Belt and Road Summit and InnoEX, we can certainly help promote our city's vision and attract international investors and technology partners."
Templewater Limited, one of the business delegates that joined the Chief Executive-led mission, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DASCO Capital today to explore the establishment of a fund supporting the future development of Kazakhstan and Alatau City Project. This MoU is part of a broader success: the Central Asia visit delivered a total of 96 MoUs and agreements, including 66 signed by the business delegation covering trade, investment, finance, technology, and aviation. Additionally, 15 cooperation agreements were signed at the government level, and 15 MoUs in areas including academia and culture were signed by non-delegation members.
These outcomes have laid a solid foundation for deeper economic and trade ties between Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, underscoring Hong Kong’s role as a key platform for Mainland enterprises to go global while further promoting long-term collaboration with Central Asian markets. The HKTDC will continue to actively follow up on key projects initiated during the visit by providing professional business matching and support services to facilitate their implementation, assisting enterprises in exploring new international opportunities and, through major conferences, business missions, and outreach initiatives, promoting collaboration between enterprises from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland and Belt and Road markets, enabling them to seize vast business opportunities.
