ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 9. Hong Kong is interested in new joint projects with Kazakhstan, such as in tourism, logistics, and e-commerce, Trend reports
A meeting took place in Urumqi, China, between Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin, the Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) Ma Xingrui, and the Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Algernon Yau.
During the meeting, Ma Xingrui noted that Kazakhstan is an important transport hub connecting Europe and Asia, and it is the largest economy in Central Asia.
In turn, Serik Zhumangarin proposed the creation of a Kazakhstan-XUAR-Hong Kong Cooperation Council, which would focus on developing specific proposals to enhance investment and trade-economic cooperation. He also suggested establishing a Joint Investment Fund with its headquarters in Urumqi or Hong Kong.
For his part, Algernon Yau mentioned that Hong Kong ranks third in the world among financial centers. As an aviation hub, it connects over 200 points worldwide. There are plans to develop high-tech industries in northern Hong Kong.
"Hong Kong has strong ties with ASEAN countries, and if Kazakh enterprises are interested in cooperation with them, they can do so through Hong Kong," he said.
Algernon Yau expressed hope for the quick signing of an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments with Kazakhstan. Serik Zhumangarin informed that the government of Kazakhstan is actively working on this document. The Kazakh side also expressed interest in developing e-commerce and learning from Hong Kong's experience as one of the largest e-commerce markets in Asia.
To note, with the participation of Chinese capital, Kazakhstan is implementing about 145 investment projects totaling more than $38 billion in various industries. There are about 5 thousand joint ventures operating in Kazakhstan.