HONG KONG, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong, the world's hub of finance, trade and commerce, will surely play a significant and irreplaceable role in building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a Hong Kong business leader said here Saturday.
In his keynote speech to the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Development Forum 2014, Dr.Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, permanent honorary president of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Sunwah Group, said building the maritime silk road, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping last year, will generate huge business opportunities for China's Hong Kong and the ASEAN region at large, improve the livelihoods of the people within the region and serve as the driving force for China and ASEAN nations to achieve greater economic miracles.
The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road runs through the Straight of Malacca to India, the Middle East and East Africa.
Choi said to promote the economic cooperation and development in East Asia and build the maritime silk road, Hong Kong will better play its unique role as the world's hub of finance, marine transportation, trade and commerce by providing the enterprises of the region with trans-boundary financing, financial expertise, accounting, arbitration, law and other related professional services.
Hong Kong has served as a "super contact person" in regional economic cooperation, said Choi, adding that businessmen from Hong Kong have not only invested in neighboring Guongdong Province but also in the ASEAN, thus having clear perceptual knowledge and rich experience of their investment environments, law systems and models of business running and managing money matters.
Hong Kong capitals have long been the important driving forces for the economic development in the ASEAN, with thousands of Hong Kong enterprises doing businesses there, and they have earned respect from ASEAN nations, the business leader said.
There is no doubt that Hong Kong will sever as the best bridge and partner for ASEAN nations to tap the market in mainland China and for the state-owned and private enterprises from mainland China to expand their businesses in ASEAN nations, he further said.
Choi said China and the 10-member ASEAN have labeled the past 10 years as a "golden decade" for the relationship since 2003 when the two sides forged a strategic partnership and have dubbed the next 10 years as a "diamond decade" which both sides hope will feature more political cooperation and regional economic integration.
With the support of the central government, Hong Kong started in July this year the negotiations with the ASEAN on a free trade agreement, and once the agreement is hammered out, Hong Kong's status as the hub of economic cooperation in East Asia will be further consolidated, he said.
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