Minister of State for Foreign Trade H E Dr. Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed speaking at a session during the 11th Belt and Road Summit.
Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Foreign Trade, H E Dr. Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, participated in the 11th Belt and Road Summit, hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the theme “Advancing High-Quality Development • Embarking on a New Journey.”
The Summit was inaugurated by H E John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in the presence of a number of senior government officials and heads and representatives of regional and international organisations.
This participation forms part of the State of Qatar’s efforts to strengthen international cooperation and expand trade and investment partnerships in response to the challenges facing the global economy and in support of comprehensive and sustainable development.
In his remarks during the Policy Dialogue titled “Building Resilient Trade and Investment Frameworks in a Diverse Global Landscape,” the Minister of State for Foreign Trade emphasised that the Summit represents an important platform for strengthening dialogue, broadening prospects for cooperation and building economic partnerships capable of responding to rapid global transformations.
With regard to economic and trade relations between the State of Qatar and Hong Kong, His Excellency stressed the importance of advancing bilateral cooperation in light of Hong Kong’s position as a global hub for trade, investment, financial services and logistics, and the opportunities it offers to strengthen links between the State of Qatar and Asian markets.
He noted that bilateral trade between the State of Qatar and Hong Kong reached approximately $1.7bn over the past four years, while a number of Hong Kong companies are operating in the Qatari market, highlighting the potential to further deepen these relations.
His Excellency also emphasised the importance of expanding trade cooperation by organising trade exhibitions and fairs and encouraging mutual participation in them, thereby promoting Qatari products and creating new opportunities for access to Asian markets.
He invited Hong Kong companies to benefit from the competitive economic and investment environment offered by the State of Qatar, as well as the services and advantages provided by its free zones, with a view to establishing high-value partnerships across various sectors that serve the Qatari market and provide a platform for access to new markets in the region.
On the sidelines of the Summit, H E John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, received H E Dr. Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade.
The Minister of State for Foreign Trade also held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit with H E Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; H E Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; H E Jam Kamal Khan, Federal Minister for Commerce of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; H E Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Textiles & Jute of Bangladesh; H E Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development of Sri Lanka; and H E Dr. Kirida Bhaopichitr, Vice Minister for Commerce of the Kingdom of Thailand.
His Excellency also held a number of meetings with representatives of leading international companies.
The meetings explored opportunities for cooperation across various fields and reviewed ways to strengthen economic, trade and investment partnerships.
