On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in South Korea on Friday, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to establish a free-trade agreement with Hong Kong and invited Asia-Pacific leaders to utilize the city as a gateway to the vast Chinese mainland market.

Lee met with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday afternoon. This was followed by separate meetings with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong Shyun-tsai and with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During his meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Lee said he hopes that the UAE will support a prospective free trade agreement between Hong Kong and the GCC, which would further enhance trade and economic collaboration.

READ MORE: APEC: Officials, experts highlight HK's potential for AI governance

Lee said that Hong Kong values its economic and trade relations with the GCC, a political and economic group made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

To date, Lee has made official visits to four of the six GCC member states — Kuwait and Qatar in 2024, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2023. All GCC countries offer visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to Hong Kong SAR passport holders.

Lee said that economic ties between Hong Kong and the UAE have been strengthening, with bilateral merchandise trade amounting to HK$125.6 billion (US$16.2 billion) in 2024 amid an average annual rate of 14.3 percent between 2020 and 2024.  

“With the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement between Hong Kong and the UAE having been in place since March 2020, l am confident that business and investment flows will continue to grow,” Lee said in a post on his social media platform.

Several cooperation projects have been launched since Lee’s last visit to the Middle East country in February 2023 — his first overseas trip after assuming office, he said.

In his meeting with Wong, Lee invited Singapore businesses to explore the opportunities presented by Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis project and leverage the city as a gateway to access the mainland market.

Both leaders touched on a broad range of issues, including economic and trade relations, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation opportunities, and agreed to reinforce collaboration in innovation and artificial intelligence.

Lee also said he appreciates Singapore’s continued support for Hong Kong’s early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

During his meeting with Georgieva, Lee thanked the IMF for its consistent recognition of Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center, as reflected in its latest staff report, as well as for acknowledging the resilience of Hong Kong’s economic recovery and financial system.

Lee pledged he would consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's financial strengths, particularly in innovative areas such as digital assets, green bonds, and regulatory sandboxes, while maximizing the use of the city’s unique role of bridging the mainland and the world.

Hong Kong looks forward to continue working closely with the IMF to contribute to regional and global economic prosperity through maintaining Hong Kong's financial stability and innovation, noted Lee.

He also participated in the APEC Economic Leaders’ Informal Dialogue with Guests, and the ABAC Dialogue with APEC Economic Leaders, on Friday.

READ MORE: Yau: HK for deepening APEC digital cooperation to foster growth

Lee arrived in South Korea on Wednesday, where he said in a social media post that his APEC trip was aimed at “strengthening friendships, enhancing practical cooperation, and creating more development opportunities and collaborative space for Hong Kong”.

The chief executive visited Busan the following day and met representatives of the Hong Kong community in the city. He encouraged locally based Hong Kong people to leverage their strengths to tell the good stories of Hong Kong and contribute to the economic and people-to-people exchanges between the two places.

On Thursday evening, he dined with Hong Kong SAR’s representatives to the APEC Business Advisory Council in Gyeongju city, where the APEC meetings were held. They exchanged views on promoting Hong Kong's advantages and enhancing regional cooperation, among other topics.

Contact the writer at williamxu@chinadailyhk.com