Ken Chu

Opinion | Abundant belt and road opportunities await Hong Kong, but is it ready?

Hong Kong can contribute substantially to the growing success of the initiative and boost the city’s recovering economy – but first, it needs a concrete plan of action

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks at the Belt and Road CEO conference in Beijing on October 17. President Xi Jinping has called it the “project of the century”. Photo: Bloomberg

Ken Chu

Published: 5:30am, 24 Oct 2023Updated: 5:59am, 24 Oct 2023

The third Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing last week marked the 10th anniversary of the initiative, a massive strategic infrastructure project and bold foreign policy undertaking, ushered in by President Xi Jinping.

In rolling out the event after a devastating pandemic, and amid geopolitical instability, regional strife and global economic uncertainty, China sent an unmistakable message that it wishes to see the world return to growth and stability through cooperation.

Arguably Xi’s most significant brainchild, the Belt and Road Initiative was launched on the premise of a world community with a common destiny and shared future. The initiative is significant not just to the world, but also to a Hong Kong that has recently regained its stability following the trauma of violent protests and the Covid-19 pandemic – and which has yet to fully recover economically.

At the Belt and Road Forum, Xi said: “We must embark with drive and enthusiasm on the new journey towards another golden decade [of cooperation]”. He also stressed the importance of upholding the original goal of cooperation and staying true to the mission of development for “shared growth”.

Xi unveiled an eight-point action plan to drive “high quality” belt and road cooperation, including moving from physical connectivity to “multidimensional connectivity”, the launch of new initiatives for green development, and the advancement of scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges among belt and road countries.

One key vision of the initiative when it was launched a decade ago was to promote connectivity not only among nations but also between peoples. Arts and culture have often been used to foster friendship, promote better communication and reduce hostilities. Among the plans announced last week was China’s intention to host a Liangzhu Forum to “enhance dialogue on civilisations” with belt and road partner countries.