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The Fourth Belt and Road Summit

Co-organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 4th Belt and Road Summit was held on 11 and 12 September 2019. Themed “Hong Kong IN: Creating and Realising Opportunities”, the two-day event gathered around 5 000 government officials, entrepreneurs and professionals from 69 countries and regions. Over 700 one-to-one business matching meetings for more than 240 projects were also arranged, with over 300 companies participating. The first Belt and Road Week was also staged.

Summit highlights

Please refer to this link for a highlight video on the Summit.

The programme of the Summit included:

  1. Opening Session
  2. Policy Dialogue Session – Facilitating Regional Co-operation through Five Areas of Connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative;
  3. Policy Dialogue Session and Luncheon – Fostering Closer Regional Co-operation on Economic Development and Commerce under the Belt and Road Initiative;
  4. Plenary Session (Day 1) – Investing for Value – Making Belt and Road Projects Viable;
  5. Plenary Session (Day 2) – Collaboration in Greater Bay Area for Belt and Road Success;
  6. Eight Concurrent Breakout Sessions; and
  7. Three Investment and Business Matching Sessions.

(1) Opening Session

Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR delivered her opening address
Opening address of Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive (English only)

Mr Gao Yunlong, the Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, delivered a special address at the opening session
Special address of Mr Gao Yunlong, the Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (Chinese only)

In addition, Mr Hao Peng, the Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC); Mr Ning Jizhe, the Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC); Mr Wang Bingnan, the Vice Minister of Commerce, and Mr Xie Feng, the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, also addressed the audience with keynote speeches.

(2) Policy Dialogue Session – Facilitating Regional Co-operation through Five Areas of Connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative

Mr Edward Yau, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (SCED), chaired the Policy Dialogue Session and discussed with overseas ministerial officials the policy landscapes and investment opportunities in their respective economies along the Belt and Road. The panellists included H.E. Sok Sopheak, Secretary of State, Ministry of Commerce, the Kingdom of Cambodia; H.E. Abdulla Al Saleh, Under Secretary of the Foreign Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, the United Arab Emirates, and Mr Gabor Gion, Minister of State for Financial Policy Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Hungary.

(3) Policy Dialogue Session and Luncheon – Fostering Closer Regional Co-operation on Economic Development and Commerce under the Belt and Road Initiative

Mr Paul Chan, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, delivered the opening remarks at the Luncheon.
Opening remarks of Mr Paul Chan, the Financial Secretary (English only)

Mr Edward Yau, SCED, chaired the Policy Dialogue with the participation of Mr Thaung Tun, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations; Chairman of Myanmar Investment Commission, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; Ms Dana Meager, Deputy Minister of Finance and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Negotiations on Belt and Road Initiative, and Mr Angelo B. Taningco, Assistant Secretary from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippines.

(4) Plenary Session (Day 1) – Investing for Value – Making Belt and Road Projects Viable

The plenary session was hosted by Mr Bernard Chan, President of Asia Financial Holdings Limited. Six panellists from Mainland China and ASEAN countries examined the risks and opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative, and shared their experience in using Hong Kong as a springboard to tap into the Belt and Road markets. They included Mr Dato’ Seri Cheah Cheng Hye, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer, Value Partners Group; Mr Dhanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman, Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group); Mr Victor Chu, Chairman & CEO, First Eastern Investment Group; Mr Li Xiaopeng, Chairman, China Everbright Group Limited; Dr Mochtar Riady, Founder and Chairman, Lippo Group, and Mr Song Zhiping, Chairman, China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd.

(5) Plenary Session (Day 2) – Collaboration in Greater Bay Area for Belt and Road Success

Chaired by Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Union; Chairman (Hong Kong) of Mainland China-Hong Kong Belt and Road Business and Professional Services Council, the speakers discussed the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan. They were Mr Chen Shuang, Director and Deputy General Manager, China Everbright Holdings Co., Ltd.; Dr Victor Fung, Group Chairman, the Fung Group; Mr Gao Yingxin, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited; Dr Hu Zhanghong, CEO, Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited; Dr Thomas So, Past President and Chairman of Belt and Road Committee, the Law Society of Hong Kong, and Mr Zheng Jianrong, Director General, Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province.

(6) Concurrent Breakout Sessions

  1. Sustainable Finance in Infrastructure

    Co-organised with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office, the panel looked into how sustainable finance could be achieved in infrastructure projects and shared insights on the latest industry trends.

  2. Towards a Greater Success of Belt and Road Projects for Sustainable Investment – Hong Kong Can Lead

    Co-organised with the Department of Justice of the HKSAR, Ms Teresa Cheng, the Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR, delivered welcome remarks at this breakout session. The session studied how proper risk-management planning, good corporate governance and dispute-resolution mechanisms could help achieve sustainable investment in the Belt and Road Initiative.

  3. Risk Management as the Common Language amongst Stakeholders of the Belt and Road Initiative: Bridging Risk Transfer and Project Finance

    Co-organised with the Insurance Authority of Hong Kong, the session analysed issues related to risk transfer and project finance. Insurance experts at the panel explained the role of risk management in project financing, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by the Belt and Road.

  4. New Investment Co-operation Opportunities in Building High-quality, Sustainable International Infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative

    Co-organised with China International Contractors Association (CHINCA), representatives from enterprises discussed the new investment co-operation opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative, and how Hong Kong could better leverage its advantages to fully participate in the Initiative.

  5. FinTech to Reshape the Cross-border Trade along Digital Silk Road

    Co-organised with Hong Kong Cyberport, the session explored how the emergence of FinTech solutions and technologies could increase the flexibility of business activities between countries, and enable rapid economic growth along the Belt and Road.

  6. Managing Geopolitical Risks

    Chaired by Mr Andrew Weir, the Regional Senior Partner and Global Chairman of Real Estate and Construction of KPMG, the panel offered insights on how the business sector could better manage geopolitical risks, and how Hong Kong’s service professionals could help make project ventures more investable amid today’s ever-evolving geopolitics.

  7. Belt and Road Opportunities for SMEs

    Chaired by Dr Tse Kwok Leung, Head of Policy and Economic Research of the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, various entrepreneurs from SMEs shared their first-hand experience and knowledge on how they had successfully ventured into the Belt and Road.

  8. Belt and Road Opportunities for the Young Generation

    Supported by InvestHK, a panel of young business leaders from across Asia shared their experiences and views on how the younger generation could better seize the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative.

Speeches and PowerPoint slides of some concurrent breakout sessions are available at the webpage of HKTDC.

Last revision date: 11 September 2019