A Hong Kong biotechnology entrepreneur has expressed high hopes for the Central Asia market, saying it merits greater attention and is an ideal partner for the city’s advanced healthcare industry.
Edmond Yau Wing-fung, founder and CEO of Koln 3D Technology, Hong Kong’s first medical metal three-dimensional printing manufacturer, made the remarks ahead of a trip to Central Asia early next month, as part of a delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.
Lee’s 60-member delegation will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to explore the growth potential of these emerging markets.
Yau said his company plans to renew and promote a memorandum of understanding signed with the Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology in 2021.
The previous agreement, he said, was effectively a not-for-profit research pact designed to support the Kazakh institute’s work on 3D-printed implants. It has since allowed Koln’s products to be used in a dozen clinical cases in Kazakhstan, benefiting patients who otherwise would have had no treatment option other than amputation.
The Kazakhs have expressed interest in making small-batch purchases of the implants tested over the past few years, Yau said. The new agreement would see Koln provide the institute with four more state-of-the-art smart healthcare solutions, largely tested in Hong Kong.
Koln intends to showcase its Kazakh partnership as a flagship project during next month’s visit, a key step in the company’s plan to expand into Uzbekistan and eventually across Central Asia.
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Yau said he believes that exporting health-tech solutions to help the region tackle severe and complex medical cases represents one of Hong Kong’s most promising avenues for healthcare cooperation with Central Asia.
However, despite the “full potential” on offer, he said the immediate need is for the medical sector to methodically and steadily forge “trust-based relationships” with local doctors and government bodies through all-level exchanges, including the upcoming visit. “When greater demand materializes, Hong Kong can become the first they will think of,” Yau said.
The special administrative region’s total exports of medical and health equipment grew 4.8 percent last year, and increased about 10 percent year on year in the first two months of 2026, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The Chinese mainland remained the top export destination, followed by the European Union, the United States, and Southeast Asia.
Yau said that as links between the SAR and Central Asia deepen, his company will step up efforts to strengthen these connections and help promote joint talent cultivation and professional exchanges.
Many of the innovations he plans to take to Central Asian stakeholders have been codeveloped under long-standing agreements with Hong Kong universities.
Christian Fang Xinshuo, clinical associate professor at the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Clinical Medicine, said Central Asia’s top cancer centers have dealt with many rare cases globally.
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He said joint studies on these cases would produce scientific outcomes for both sides to “reach the next level”.
