VICTORIA, Hong Kong, CMC – Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has held talks with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, on issues of mutual interest, according to a statement issued by the government here.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, situated on China’s southern coast, and according to the official statement, the discussions on Monday were also attended by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Algernon Yau.
In welcoming Skerrit and his delegation, Lee stated that Hong Kong is the world’s “freest economy and maintains its position as third globally and first in Asia Pacific as an international financial center according to the newly published Global Financial Centers Index.”
The statement said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will actively leverage the dual advantage of having national and global opportunities under the “one country, two systems” principle. It will deepen international exchanges and cooperation and further explore emerging markets, including Dominica.
The statement quoted Lee as further indicating that he expects that Hong Kong and Dominica “will explore more cooperation opportunities and enhance bilateral trade and business exchanges”.
Lee said that Dominica is a Belt and Road economy. At the same time, Hong Kong is a key link in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is China’s central international cooperation and economic strategy. At least 146 countries and 32 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements for the BRI.
The statement said that the (HKSAR) government is committed to serving as a functional platform for the Belt and Road Initiative, leveraging the advantages of being closely connected to both the Mainland and the world, and promoting participation in green cooperation in the Initiative.
Lee urged businesses from Dominica “to leverage Hong Kong’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” and its highly internationalized and market-oriented business environment with its pool of professional services talent to explore overseas and mainland markets, jointly seizing the opportunities from the Belt and Road Initiative to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes,” the statement added.
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