Having confidence in joining RCEP as soon as possible, Li Jiachao: Hong Kong has returned to the center of the world stage
"This year's the Belt and Road Summit Forum is destined to be very special, and the anniversary is always memorable." At the opening ceremony of the eighth the Belt and Road Summit Forum held this morning, Li Jiachao, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, said that since the tenth anniversary of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, Hong Kong has always played the role of a participant, contributor and beneficiary, unswervingly promoting this grand blueprint into reality.
In his speech, Li Jiachao said that this is the first time that Hong Kong has held the "the Belt and Road Summit Forum" offline after coming out of the influence of the COVID-19. "We have once again done what we are best at: creating a world full of opportunities". He said that this forum attracted nearly 6000 government officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs and heads of start-ups from more than 70 countries and regions, and more than 100 overseas and mainland delegations attended the forum. The number of foreign ministers and memorandums of understanding signed exceeded the previous "the Belt and Road" summits.
"These record breaking numbers fully demonstrate that Hong Kong has returned to the center of the world stage," he said.
Over the past decade, Hong Kong has helped to jointly build the "the Belt and Road" and made remarkable achievements. Li Jiachao said that at present, Hong Kong is expanding cooperation with the "the Belt and Road" partners in a broader range of fields, including trade and investment, innovation and technology, infrastructure development, etc. "Hong Kong is your ideal 'the Belt and Road' center, and opportunities begin here."
The number of political leaders from the Middle East and ASEAN region participating in the forum this year is the highest in history, making it one of the biggest highlights of the forum. Li Jiachao said that he led a delegation to visit these two regions earlier this year, which reflects the further deepening of the relationship between Hong Kong and the "the Belt and Road" partners. He expressed confidence that Hong Kong will join RCEP as soon as possible with national support, and bring important value to RCEP by promoting regional cooperation with member economies. "Hong Kong is a highway along the the Belt and Road. We establish links between enterprises and all the projects that follow, and add value to them."