Hong Kong’s business leaders have welcomed the results of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministerial Meeting, heaping praise on the city’s unique role in forging regional development and connecting the motherland with the world.

Held in the special administrative region from Tuesday to Wednesday, the one-and-a-half-day meeting concluded with the Policy Statement on Digital Infrastructure Financing Across the Asia-Pacific Region, and a joint statement issued by finance ministers and officials from APEC member economies.

The joint statement outlines areas of cooperation to strengthen economic resilience and expand opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region. It also calls for stronger collaboration to address persistent global imbalances and mounting risks to growth and financial stability.

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The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong congratulated the city on successfully hosting the meeting, saying it had fully leveraged its unique advantages as a “superconnector”.

Chamber chairman Jonathan Choi Koon-shum said the meeting’s outcomes present considerable prospects for local industrial communities as well as Hong Kong’s long-term development.

He said the statements particularly align with Hong Kong’s capabilities.

“As an international financial center, Hong Kong can connect projects with capital in the area of digital infrastructure financing. The expanded coverage of financial services will directly benefit small- and medium-enterprise financing, and Hong Kong’s relatively mature green finance sector can provide financing for the region’s green transition,” Choi added.

Bank of China (Hong Kong) said the meeting helped deepen regional policy exchanges and financial cooperation, and further enhanced Hong Kong’s international influence.

Hong Kong's mature financial market and its continuously improving fintech infrastructure can provide favorable conditions for regional financial innovation and cooperation, it said.

The bank called on the HKSAR to fully leverage its unique gateway role in connecting the country and the world, and promote cross-border investment and financing cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region to inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the regional economy.

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This was the first time that Hong Kong had hosted the APEC Finance Ministerial Meeting. It brought together about 500 financial policymakers and representatives of international organizations for discussion on four key objectives: using fiscal policies to support livelihoods; strengthening digital infrastructure financing; promoting inclusive financial development; and enhancing young financial talent exchange.

APEC Secretariat Executive Director Eduardo Pedrosa said ministers at the meeting have taken a step forward in addressing many financial challenges that APEC economies are facing.

“The important message that we got from finance ministers was that while we need fiscal support, it needs to be targeted; it needs to help individuals, and it needs to help households,” he told China Daily. “APEC cooperation is not about big. It's about people … It's really about coming together and making sure that we all work together as a single APEC community.”

Pedrosa also underscored the significance of deepening interdependence among APEC members, as global supply chains have been more complex over the past decades.

The organization is striving to develop an inclusive agenda on trade facilitation that can help strengthen supply chain resilience and benefit consumers in the region, he added.

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled to take place on Nov 18-19 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Zheng Wanying contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at gabylin@chinadailyhk.com