Largest Summit ever highlights Hong Kong's role in the Initiative

Vincent HS Lo, Chairman of the HKTDC, said: "With more and more countries and businesses around the world playing an active role in the Belt and Road Initiative and further promoting global trade and investment connectivity, this year's Summit is going to be much larger in scale. Around 70 government officials, business leaders and representatives of international organisations from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and countries along the Belt and Road will share their insights and explore collaboration opportunities, reaffirming Hong Kong's role as a facilitator and commercial hub for the Belt and Road."

This year's Summit is expected to attract close to 5,000 business representatives from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and around the world. In addition to gaining insights from the guest speakers, business representatives can take advantage of the Summit as a platform to learn about the business environment of different Belt and Road markets and the opportunities in various sectors, and to discuss investment and business collaboration on-site.

Promoting an "all-win" model of cooperation

The Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote cross-border investments, provide more outlets for capital, and create opportunities for professional services sectors. The plenary session, entitled "Action through Collaboration: Case Studies on Signature Belt and Road Projects", will be moderated by Bernard Chan, President of Asia Financial Holdings Ltd. Guest speakers including Xu Lejiang, Executive Vice Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Professor Frederick Ma, Chairman of MTR Corporation Ltd, and Manuel V Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, will share their first-hand experience and perspectives as investors, project owners and services providers, and discuss the investment opportunities presented by the Initiative and how to achieve an "all-win" outcome through collaboration.

Financial services, green finance and risk management

Joining hands with partners representing various related institutions and professional fields, the Summit will cater to the needs of different business sectors by offering a number of thematic breakout forums. Hong Kong's world-leading financial industry is playing a key role in supporting various Belt and Road projects. A breakout session co-organised with the HKMA Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (IFFO) will feature industry leaders of the banking, insurance and infrastructure sectors as well as representatives of international infrastructure facilitating organisations. Drawing from their unique perspectives and professional knowledge, the speakers will examine how projects and business plans can fulfil solvency requirements while remaining attractive to investors.

Many Belt and Road projects involve clean energy, eco-friendly transportation networks and waste treatment systems, all of which have the potential to be developed into green financial products, currently much sought after by the international investment community. In the breakout session co-organised with the Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council, Jonathan Drew, Managing Director in Infrastructure and Real Estate Group Global Banking Asia-Pacific at HSBC; Dr Ma Jun, Director of the Center for Finance and Development of Tsinghua University; and David Pang, Treasurer of MTR Corporation Ltd, will analyse how the development of green finance can support Belt and Road projects from the perspectives of banking, academia and corporate financial management.

While the investment returns of Belt and Road projects is a major consideration for investors, asset risks, default risks, political and sovereign risks should also be considered. The breakout session co-organised with the Insurance Authority of Hong Kong will invite experts in the insurance and re-insurance industry to share how insurance plans can be ultilised to manage these risks and ensure more stable investment returns.

Practical issues to be discussed at breakout sessions

Apart from the financial and insurance sectors, the Belt and Road Initiative also presents new opportunities to many other fields. A breakout session co-organised with the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Ltd will focus on technological innovation and explore the development of the Digital Silk Road; another session co-organised with the China International Contractors Association will discuss the opportunities in engineering and project management. The sessions co-organised with the Department of Justice of the HKSAR Government will examine best practices in handling cross-border trade and drafting contracts, and how to resolve disputes through arbitration.

The breakout session "Sharing by Young Business Leaders on Belt and Road Opportunities", supported by Invest Hong Kong, will involve a panel of young business leaders sharing their experience in business development outside Hong Kong and encouraging more young people to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. The session "Women Entrepreneurship on the Belt and Road" presented by the South China Morning Post will invite leading women entrepreneurs to discuss the opportunities for women-led businesses on the Belt and Road, and how the Initiative promotes a culture of inclusion and international exchange.

All-day project pitching and business matching

Owing to popular demand, the Investment and Business Matching Session, comprising Project Pitching and One-to-one Business Matching Meetings, will be extended to a full day this year. Project Pitching will cover three main areas: Transport and Logistics Infrastructure; Energy, Natural Resources and Public Utilities; and Rural and Urban Development. The One-to-one Business Matching Meetings will provide a platform for project owners, investors and services providers to connect and discuss their business and investment needs, and to explore cooperation opportunities.

Over 30 global business leaders serve as honorary advisors of the Belt and Road Summit. China International Capital Corporation Ltd is the Summit's Strategic Partner. Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd is the Diamond Sponsor.

Members of the media interested in interviewing the speakers can fill out a form (https://bit.ly/2xbx8Pi^[1]) and email it to [email protected]^[2] on or before 14 June.

For the latest schedule and full speakers list, please visit the Summit website:http://www.beltandroadsummit.hk/en/information_centre/programme.html^[3]

Belt and Road Summit website: www.beltandroadsummit.hk^[4]HKTDC Belt and Road Portal: www.beltandroad.hk^[5]Photo download: https://bit.ly/2sq1W9m^[6]

About HKTDC

Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With more than 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus^[7]. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.- Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdc^[8]- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdc^[9]- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council^[10]

Contact:

Billy Ng
Tel: +852 2584 4393
Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.

References

1. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2xbx8Pi (bit.ly)
2. ^{^} [email protected] (www.acnnewswire.com)
3. ^{^} http://www.beltandroadsummit.hk/en/information_centre/programme.html (www.beltandroadsummit.hk)
4. ^{^} www.beltandroadsummit.hk (www.beltandroadsummit.hk)
5. ^{^} www.beltandroad.hk (www.beltandroad.hk)
6. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2sq1W9m (bit.ly)
7. ^{^} www.hktdc.com/aboutus (www.hktdc.com)
8. ^{^} https://plus.google.com/+hktdc (plus.google.com)
9. ^{^} http://www.twitter.com/hktdc (www.twitter.com)
10. ^{^} http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council (www.linkedin.com)
11. ^{^} [email protected] (www.acnnewswire.com)
12. ^{^} HKTDC (www.hktdc.com)
13. ^{^} Trade Shows (www.acnnewswire.com)