Vice-Premier Han Zheng delivers the opening speech via video link at the seventh Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on Aug 31, 2022. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Senior SAR officials as well as business and community leaders said the city will leverage its strengths to contribute to the country's development and opening-up. 

Chan Kwok-ki

Chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government

The Belt and Road Initiative is a path of win-win cooperation and common development. Vice-Premier Han Zheng highly appraised Hong Kong’s role as an active participant, contributor and beneficiary of the strategy. Hong Kong will forge ahead, seize the huge opportunities from the initiative, and make new contributions to the nation’s development and opening-up.

Paul Lam Ting-kwok

Secretary for justice of the HKSAR government

With the easing of the global pandemic, it is now a good time to explore new opportunities and different kinds of cooperation through the Belt and Road international cooperation platform. From 2013 to 2021, the trade volume between China and BRI countries increased by 73 percent annually, from $1.04 trillion to $1.8 trillion, and the value of new infrastructure contracts reached $1.08 trillion.

Disputes are unavoidable amid the expanding trade scale, and Hong Kong’s professional legal and dispute-resolution services can provide strong support to investors and dispute-resolution authorities in exploring new opportunities.

Henry Tang Ying-yen

Chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Board

The speech by Vice-Premier Han Zheng is of great significance to the development of Hong Kong’s culture and arts. Hong Kong is fully ready to shoulder its duty of promoting Chinese culture in the global stage and fostering cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

Sunny Tan

Chairman of the Hong Kong Productivity Council

Hong Kong has many unique advantages to further develop the BRI platform, such as its connection with the mainland and overseas regions and its professional-service industry. The BRI strategy will not only bring huge economic opportunities to Hong Kong, but also help the city make the most of its strengths and make greater contributions to the country.

New People's Party

The country’s Belt and Road Initiative is a great regional development strategy, and it is encouraging for Hong Kong to participate in it. Han’s speech showed that Hong Kong has much to do in promoting the BRI strategy. With its well-established advantages in financial, shipping and trade areas, Hong Kong is well-positioned to conduct closer exchanges and economic and trade cooperation with more countries and regions.

Lam Ho-yi

Director of the youth committee of the Belt and Road General Chamber of Commerce

Han’s speech affirmed Hong Kong's unique position and advantages, and clearly pointed out its development direction under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road General Chamber of Commerce announced earlier that it will launch teaching manuscripts to introduce basic knowledge of the BRI strategy in primary and secondary schools, which is exactly in line with the direction pointed out by Han. The move will not only help Hong Kong students enhance their understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative, but also strengthen people-to-people bonds and promote cultural integration among the BRI countries and regions.