Policy makers attending a summit held in Hong Kong said on Wednesday that the Belt and Road construction will become a potential driving force of the world's economic growth, and governments should work together to promote connectivity and reduce trade barriers.
At the Belt and Road Summit held by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, government officials from countries and regions along the Belt and Road also actively introduced their own advantages in participating in the initiative.
Sultan Mansoori, minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said that the Belt and Road Initiative will provide more opportunities for cooperation among more than 60 countries and regions with the connectivity of infrastructure and will enhance understandings among different countries.
Mansoori said the UAE fully support the Belt and Road Initiative as a commitment to maintain a strong friendship and historical partnership with China and the UAE government is endeavoring to improve its investment environment for participating in the initiative.
John Tsang, Hong Kong SAR government's Financial Secretary, said at the summit that it was the right moment as well as the right place to explore the outsized potential of the Belt and Road Initiative when global economy is facing downward pressure.
Tsang said the market potential of Islamic finance is also clear and promising, given the large Muslim population living in the Belt and Road region.
Hong Kong has been working hard to develop Islamic finance and have made a good start in the past 20 months when the SAR had twice issued Islamic bonds, Tsang told the attendants of the summit.
Gregory So, secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the SAR government, promoted Hong Kong's transport management advantages.
Hong Kong's subway system, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), other than carrying 5 million passengers every weekday in our domestic lines, is also managing mass transit systems in the Chinese mainland, Asia and Europe, So said in his speech at the summit.
Franky Sibarani, chairman of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, said world trade is one of the main drivers of his country's economic growth. And the Indonesian government is reforming policies to facilitate investment in Indonesia.
Sibarani said that with about 256 million population and as a rich producer in many resources, Indonesia has huge market potential. He believed that the Belt and Road Initiative would become a driving force of the global economic growth.
