HONG KONG — The 11th 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), opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The two-day event, running from September 9 to 10, 2026, brings together more than 100 government officials, business leaders, and professionals from Belt and Road countries and regions under the theme "Advancing High-Quality Development • Embarking on a New Journey." The Summit focuses on exploring new opportunities in high-quality Belt and Road development, promoting cross-regional trade and industrial matching, and accelerating concrete outcomes.
The Summit's significance lies in its timing amid a reshaped global trade landscape, ongoing supply chain reconfiguration, and increasing geopolitical uncertainty. Enhancing trade and investment resilience has become a key priority for economies worldwide, and the Summit addresses this by facilitating business partnerships and cross-border cooperation. Multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements were signed on the first day, spanning finance, professional services, industry, and construction, involving organisations from the Chinese Mainland, Australia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, and Uzbekistan. More agreements are expected, transforming connections into tangible collaborations.
In his opening remarks, John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, emphasized Hong Kong's role as a two-way springboard for Mainland enterprises expanding overseas and international companies entering the Mainland market. He noted that the GoGlobal Task Force, established last October, has assisted over 300 Mainland enterprises in establishing or expanding their businesses in Hong Kong. Lee also highlighted that since 2022, he has led high-level business delegations to 13 Belt and Road countries, delivering over 250 MOUs and other agreements, underlining Hong Kong's focus on opening new markets and advancing regional cooperation.
Professor Frederick Ma, Chairman of the HKTDC, stated in his welcome remarks that diversification is a necessity in a world full of risks and uncertainties. He stressed that the Belt and Road Initiative is about forging new connections and turning potential into tangible development. He identified ASEAN, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America as regions with the greatest growth potential. This year's Summit introduces new thematic zones, including the "GoGlobal Connect" zone, to bring Hong Kong's professional services expertise to support enterprises expanding internationally.
Special addresses were delivered by Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan; Carolina Cosse, Vice President of Uruguay; and Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos. Aripov invited participants to create new manufacturing and technology value chains in Uzbekistan, using it as a gateway to Central Asia. Cosse highlighted Uruguay's support for the Belt and Road Initiative and its readiness to translate commitment into tangible cooperative outcomes. Kommasith cited the Lao-China Railway as tangible evidence of high-quality BRI cooperation, which has facilitated over 70 million passengers and transported over 90 million metric tons of freight, transforming Laos from a landlocked country into a land-linked regional logistics hub.
Yan Dong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, and Li Zhen, Vice Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, delivered special remarks. Yan expressed support for Hong Kong leveraging its professional service advantages to participate deeply in Belt and Road cooperation projects. Li emphasized guiding central state-owned enterprises to establish treasury and trade centres, research and development institutions, and international business headquarters in Hong Kong, supporting Hong Kong's status as an international financial, shipping, and trade centre.
The Summit also features new GoGlobal, Central Asia, and Middle East chapters to spotlight opportunities in emerging markets. The GoGlobal Chapter creates a one-stop platform for networking and business matching. The Central Asia and Middle East Chapters focus on investment opportunities and development potential in these regions. Additionally, the Project Investment Sessions cover more than 300 investment projects and facilitate over 800 one-to-one business matching meetings. The Exhibition Zone brings together over 120 exhibitors across multiple thematic zones, including the new University Zone, GreenTech Zone, GoGlobal Connect Zone, Central Asia Zone, and Middle East Zone.
The 11th Belt and Road Summit is supported by partners including China International Capital Corporation Limited as Strategic Partner and Bank of China (Hong Kong) as Banking Partner. For more information, visit the Belt and Road Summit website. The programme is available at the programme page, and the speaker list at the speaker list page.
