​The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (July 29) led a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delegation to continue their visit in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Mr Lee met with leaders of the Lao government, and visited a local school, an enterprise and a railway project. He also attended a business dinner to exchange views with local business leaders.

     In the morning, Mr Lee and his delegation met with key members of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr Lee said that with the support of such national strategies as the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, Hong Kong is an important platform connecting the Mainland with the world. He encouraged Lao enterprises to make use of Hong Kong’s financial, logistics and professional services to expand overseas, and to explore the vast Mainland market.

     Mr Lee then respectively met with the Prime Minister of Laos, Mr Sonexay Siphandone, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos, Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.

     Mr Lee said that Hong Kong attaches great importance to its close collaboration with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Laos. As the first Chief Executive of the HKSAR visiting Laos, Mr Lee said he hopes to lead his team to explore partnerships with Laos in different areas and contribute to the co-operation between China and Laos under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

     Mr Lee said that Hong Kong is actively seeking accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in order to further contribute to the economic development of the region. Noting that the Lao government has assumed the chairmanship of ASEAN this year, Mr Lee expressed his gratitude to the Lao government for acknowledging Hong Kong's potential contribution, and its continuous and strong support to Hong Kong's accession to the RCEP.

     Mr Lee and Mr Saleumxay also jointly witnessed the exchange of 12 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between organisations and enterprises of the two places in areas including customs collaboration, investment promotion, trade and economic partnership, financial services, education exchange and so on.

     Mr Lee noted that the conclusion of the series of MoUs between Hong Kong and Laos will promote the connections between the two places across various fields. He said that it will also allow Hong Kong enterprises to seize the opportunities in entering the market of Laos, grasping the abundant development potential of Laos, and jointly developing emerging industries.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lee visited a secondary school in Laos to tour teaching facilities and watch a performance by students. Mr Lee said that the HKSAR Government has set up the Belt and Road Scholarship to support outstanding students from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, including Laos, to pursue full-time studies in publicly-funded universities of Hong Kong. He looked forward to more talent from Laos staying in Hong Kong for development in the future.

     Afterwards, Mr Lee visited the Saysettha Development Zone, a new economic zone in Vientiane. The development zone is a key co-operation project between the governments of China and Laos, and is the only state-level overseas economic and trade co-operation zone established by China in Laos. Currently, about 150 companies from nine countries and regions have settled in the zone.

     Mr Lee also visited Solarspace Technology (Laos) Sole Co. Ltd in the development zone to learn more about its business in manufacturing solar cells and modules. He highlighted that the HKSAR Government is committed to combatting climate change, with the target of achieving carbon neutrality before 2050. He expressed his hope that Hong Kong and Laos enterprises could have more co-operation opportunities in new energy.

     Mr Lee and his delegation then visited Vientiane Station, the terminal station of the China-Laos Railway, to understand more about the operation of the railway. The China-Laos Railway is a flagship project of China-Laos co-operation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, playing a significant role in connecting the two countries. Mr Lee said that the China-Laos Railway has greatly shortened the transportation time for cargo and passengers between the two countries, and helped to promote people-to-people exchange. As an international trade and shipping centre, and a regional aviation hub, Hong Kong possesses a high-quality logistics service sector that could share its experience with Lao enterprises, supporting the development of the regional logistics industry in Laos, he added.

     In the evening, Mr Lee attended a dinner with the Lao Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Speaking at the dinner, Mr Lee introduced the latest development opportunities of Hong Kong to local business leaders, as well as the HKSAR Government's measures in strengthening connections between the peoples and business communities of the two places.

     The delegation led by Mr Lee will depart for Phnom Penh, Cambodia tomorrow (July 30) to continue the visit programme.

Ends/Monday, July 29, 2024
Issued at HKT 23:34

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