'SAR poised to be springboard for Central Asian firms'

Executive councillor Jeffrey Lam said the start of direct flights between Hong Kong and Almaty in Kazakhstan next year will lead to more opportunities as the aviation network expands.

Speaking after a Commercial Radio programme on Saturday, Lam, who was part of the 70-strong delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan recently, said the Central Asian market has abundant business opportunities.

“With direct flights, Hong Kong can become a springboard centre for Central Asian firms," he said.

"Also, it can make use of the direct flights to connect the air corridor with that from Central Asia to Europe.

"So business opportunities are not just limited in the five countries of Central Asia."

There are also a lot of business opportunities in areas such as finance, said Lam, who also chairs the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park board.

Firms in Central Asia, he added, are very interested in coming here to invest, particularly in Hung Shui Kiu as well as the Northern Metropolis, with the trip showing they hope to obtain more information on investment opportunities.

Trade Development Council (TDC) chairman Frederick Ma reiterated that the visit has been hugely successful.

He expects more chambers of commerce to continue arranging trips to Central Asia, given that not all sectors got to join the delegation.

Ma said it would be much more convenient for firms to head to Kazakhstan themselves to explore business opportunities when direct flights become available in the first quarter of next year.

The TDC has a consultant office in Kazakhstan, he noted, and he did not rule out the possibility of upgrading it.

As for whether the council will set up offices in the five Central Asian countries, Ma said that was unlikely given that resources had to be deployed carefully.

Edited by Azam Khan ...