On February 7, 2023, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiuLee Ka-chiu left to attend a dinner hosted by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the United Arab Emirates, Zhang Yiming right in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. PHOTO HKSAR Chinese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Zhang Yiming, said on Tuesday that Hong Kong is well-positioned to deepen ties with the United Arab Emirates UAE by leveraging its unique strengths amid surging Sino-UAE cooperation.
The ongoing high-profile visit by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiuLee Ka-chiu, accompanied by a high-powered delegation to the UAE, has been welcomed by the UAE government and the local community, according to an exclusive interview with China Daily in Abu Dhabi.
Lee and a delegation of more than 30 Hong Kong industry leaders went on an eight-day visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Saturday. It is Lee's first overseas trip this year kicking off focused efforts by the special administrative region to promote the city globally after it embraced normalcy at pre-pandemic levels.
HK's collaboration with the UAE had been supported by stronger UAE-China relations, according to Zhang. In 2022, Sino-UAE trade hit a record high of $99.27 billion, up 37.4 percent year-on-year despite the Pandemic. More than 420 Hong Kong enterprises, including household names in the city such as Cathay Pacific and Hutchison Ports, have established footholds in the UAE. In 2021, Hong Kong opened its Economic and Trade Office in Dubai to facilitate collaboration.
The UAE and Hong Kong shared common strengths, according to Zhang. He said that Hong Kong is the Pearl of the Orient and the UAE is called the Pearl of the Gulf. Both have very unique locations as regional financial, economic, trade and innovation centers, and both sides are playing a similar role to connect the world between the West and East.
With the UAE hosting thousands of Chinese companies, it could serve as a strong platform for Hong Kong to forge closer ties with the Emirate while promoting a full play to their roles as pivots of the Belt and Road Initiative.