The South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean summit of businesspeople, officials and investors coincides with the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty. Few would have imagined in 1997 that the city would emerge as a “superconnector” between the 11 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (population about 700 million) and the Greater Bay Area (population about 88 million), let alone as a bridge between China and the world.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu
noted that Hong Kong was uniquely positioned to connect Asean with the Greater Bay Area – Beijing’s plan to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities into an economic powerhouse – amid a shifting geopolitical landscape. “We can enable the smooth flow of trade, investment and innovation, creating opportunities to reward both regions,” he said.
The city is indeed well placed to link the two regions looking for markets and investments. The opportunity this creates for cross investment and expansion to other regions is enormous. Key to that may be the Asean chamber of commerce in Hong Kong, officially launched at the summit. The chamber will unite the 11 member states on one platform from which they can work for better ties with Hong Kong, the
Greater Bay Area and the rest of China.
Asean has emerged as a key partner for Hong Kong as the city seeks new growth areas and to diversify its trading partners, with Lee having made three trips to Southeast Asia since 2022, visiting seven member states.
Lee appealed to Asean to invest in Hong Kong’s future, in particular the
Northern Metropolis, and urged members to back the
city’s bid for membership of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
The summit brings together government officials, business leaders and institutional investors to discuss emerging areas of cooperation between Asean and the Greater Bay Area. Hosted in Hong Kong on the first day and in Qianhai, Shenzhen, on the second, discussion panels and keynote addresses at the summit cover a wide range of issues, from policy, cross-border financing, artificial intelligence and technological collaboration, to industrial expansion and supply-chain resilience.
