ASEAN tour expands business opportunities, paves way for cooperation: HKSAR chief executive

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Xinhua) -- John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said here on Friday that his visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia has expanded business opportunities, promoted Hong Kong, and paved way for broader cooperation.

Lee told a media conference that he and leaders of the three Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have come to a consensus that cooperation is the way forward and they should expand cooperation and enhance exchange of knowledge and experience.

He noted that over the past week, a total of 33 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and agreements have been signed with different organisations of the three countries, covering such areas as trading and commerce, investment, finance, innovation and technology, logistics, academic research and cultural exchange.

On the same day, Lee also visited Malaysian local major enterprises, attended a business luncheon and exchanged views with local political and business leaders.

When addressing the luncheon, Lee said Hong Kong is bestowed with the unique advantages of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected with the world under "one country, two systems", and he expected more enterprises of Malaysia and other ASEAN members to come to Hong Kong and explore business opportunities.

Enterprises and institutions of Hong Kong and Malaysia signed 11 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and agreements in areas including trade, finance, railway and property development, digital transformation, and financial technology.

According to Malaysia's Bernama news agency, the signing of MOUs and agreements signals the shared vision of enhanced cooperation and paves the way for mutually beneficial opportunities across both economic and cultural domains.

Lee's delegation will return to Hong Kong on Saturday.