John Lee: Hong Kong will continue to promote regional economic cooperation, prosperity and stability

On October 21, John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, met with Lan Fo'an, Minister of Finance, at Government House to exchange views on the economic and financial development of the mainland and Hong Kong. Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong; Michael Wong Wai-lun, Deputy Financial Secretary; and Christopher Hui Ching-yu, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, also attended. John Lee Ka-chiu expressed his sincere gratitude for the country's trust in and support for Hong Kong, as well as its high recognition of Hong Kong's status as an international financial center. Hong Kong actively seized the Finance Ministers' Meeting as an international exchange platform to showcase its unique advantages of connecting China and the world, and to deepen economic and trade exchanges and cooperation with APEC members. As the engine of global economic growth, the Asia-Pacific region shoulders greater responsibility as world economic growth faces multiple challenges. Hong Kong will continue to play the role of "super connector" and "super value-adder" to jointly promote regional economic cooperation, prosperity and stability. John Lee Ka-chiu said that the country's 15th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial center. The SAR government last month published Hong Kong's first five-year plan and the Policy Address, proactively aligning with national development strategies, further developing RMB and commodity trading businesses, and consolidating Hong Kong's international competitive advantages. Hong Kong will continue to promote the high-quality development of its international financial center, deepen mutual access with the mainland financial market, and serve the country's high-level financial opening-up. John Lee Ka-chiu said that the Ministry of Finance has issued RMB sovereign bonds in Hong Kong for many consecutive years, and this year for the first time issued RMB green sovereign bonds in Hong Kong, which helps consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's position as a global hub for offshore RMB business. The SAR government continues to promote the development of Hong Kong's bond market, advance RMB internationalization and improve the sustainable finance ecosystem. Mainland financial institutions can leverage Hong Kong's internationalized market, professional services and talent to further expand their businesses. In addition, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will soon establish an office in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong, as a member of the AIIB, will continue to actively support the AIIB's work. John Lee Ka-chiu welcomed and thanked Minister Lan Fo'an for leading a delegation to Hong Kong to chair the 2026 APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting. The Finance Ministers' Meeting is the last specialized ministerial meeting before the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen this November, and is of great significance to contributing to the finance channel outcomes of APEC's "China Year." China is the host of APEC this year. This year's Finance Ministers' Meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Finance and undertaken by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government for the first time. It was successfully held in Hong Kong over two consecutive days starting yesterday, during which candid and in-depth exchanges were further conducted on key issues in the financial and economic field, and a series of practical outcomes were achieved. The meeting approved and released the 2026 APEC Finance Ministers' Joint Statement and the Asia-Pacific Regional Digital Infrastructure Financing Policy Statement, setting a clear direction and providing guidance for Asia-Pacific economies to deepen financial and economic cooperation. The meeting deepened consensus among all parties in three areas: first, strengthening macroeconomic policy communication and coordination to jointly address external risks and challenges; second, advancing practical cooperation in the financial and economic field to support long-term sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific economy; third, deepening the regional integration process and promoting the building of an Asia-Pacific community. The meeting also produced two outcome documents in specialized fields and summarized the APEC Young Financial and Economic Talents Exchange and Cooperation Project.