On June 11, 2026, the Alatau City Authority, a state body of Kazakhstan, held the Alatau City Investment Round Table in Hong Kong, building on the momentum of a recent business delegation to Central Asia led by HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee. The event, part of an official visit by a Kazakh delegation to Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, aimed to explore investment opportunities in Alatau City, a new greenfield project near Almaty, and further strengthen economic ties under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The roundtable was attended by Chief Executive John Lee, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, and representatives from government bodies, leading enterprises, financial institutions, and investors from Kazakhstan, the Chinese Mainland, and Hong Kong. Participants discussed the latest developments and key initiatives across sectors including fintech, the low-altitude economy, smart city development, and infrastructure.
Chief Executive John Lee emphasized Hong Kong's unique position, stating, "Under the unique 'one country, two systems' principle, we are the only world city to combine the China advantage and the global advantage." He noted Kazakhstan's ambitious reforms and expressed eagerness to explore wide-ranging business and investment cooperation, including with Alatau City.
Silas Chu, Director of Exhibitions and Digital Business of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), highlighted the council's commitment to Central Asia, noting the opening of its Almaty consultant office in 2018. He said the HKTDC aims to promote Hong Kong as an international business platform through events like the Belt and Road Summit and InnoEX.
A key outcome of the roundtable was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Templewater Limited, a business delegate from the Central Asia visit, and DASCO Capital to explore establishing a fund supporting the development of Kazakhstan and the Alatau City Project.
The Central Asia visit, which took place from June 1 to 5, yielded 96 MoUs and agreements. The business delegation signed 66 MoUs covering trade, investment, finance, technology, and aviation. Additionally, 15 government-level cooperation agreements and 15 MoUs in academia and culture were signed by non-delegation members. These results underscore Hong Kong's role as a key platform for Mainland enterprises to go global and promote long-term collaboration with Central Asian markets.
Looking ahead, the HKTDC will continue to follow up on key projects from the visit by providing professional business matching and support services. Through major conferences, business missions, and outreach initiatives, the council aims to facilitate collaboration between enterprises from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland with Belt and Road markets, enabling them to seize vast business opportunities.
