Jackson Choi Chit-sze, director of Sun Wah Group (Hong Kong), said he has a strong interest in teaming up with Chinese mainland entrepreneurs who want to invest in Central Asia — a region he sees as rich in land, critical minerals, and strategically placed to bridge China and Europe.
Choi, also the regional director of the group’s Eastern China and Central China operations, traveled with a high-profile delegation with around 40 Hong Kong entrepreneurs and about 30 mainland business representatives on a visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The delegation, led by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, is on a seven-day official trip to seek business opportunities, foster policy ties, and assist mainland enterprises’ go-global bid.
The delegation will return to Hong Kong on Saturday.
Speaking to China Daily in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, Choi said he talked extensively with mainland delegates from multiple sectors during the trip, and he agreed that significant opportunities await in Central Asia.
Choi said his company has already been actively partnering with many mainland firms in their global expansion, with notable headway made in Southeast Asian markets like Vietnam.
Sunwah Group is a Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate that has over 50 years of business roots in Vietnam.
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With Central Asian markets shaped up as a likely next move, Choi expressed high hopes, saying that “there are a lot of opportunities to explore”, an optimistic view he credits to the region’s rich critical mineral reserves — essential to many modern strategic industries —as well as its natural environment, which he described as well-suited for developing renewable energy such as solar power.
Choi added that the current uncertain global geopolitical climate has only added weight to a pivot toward Central Asia.
Strategically located between China and Europe, the region has been an “important trading hub,” he said. “A lot of land cargo has to go through Central Asia to Europe,” and that route will serve as “a really important alternative to conventional shipping routes,” Choi said.
Following the outbreak of military conflicts in the Middle East in late February, the region’s maritime arteries — including the Strait of Hormuz — have seen significant disruption.
Choi credited the trip with enabling him to network with Central Asian businesspeople and with fellow delegates from both Hong Kong and mainland firms, although, in a cautious tone, he said he does not expect “things to realize immediately”.
As of Thursday night, the delegation has finalized 96 agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, involving $1.65 billion in investment commitments.
