Hong Kong has signed 55 MOUs and agreements with Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam

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These have been achieved during the CE’s visit to the three ASEAN countries, covering a wide range of areas, such as trade and economic partnership, education, and aviation.

Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee and the delegation have finished a visit to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, three countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During the trip, 55 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and agreements have been signed.

Among these MOUs and agreements, 12 were signed with Laos, 13 with Cambodia, and 30 with Vietnam, covering a wide range of co-operative areas, such as trade and economic partnership, investment, customs collaboration, education, cultural exchanges, tourism promotion, and aviation.

Concluding his visit, Lee said that the visit had achieved five results, including:

• strengthening government-to-government relations and communications;
• reaching consensus on areas of development and co-operation;
• consolidating and expanding business networks, injecting new impetus to open up new horizons and opportunities;
• enhancing a shared strong will to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative; and
• reaffirming the three countries' continuous support for Hong Kong's accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

During his trip to Laos, Lee said that the HKSAR Government has set up the ‘Belt and Road Scholarship’. The scholarship aims to support outstanding students from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, including Laos, to pursue full-time studies in publicly-funded universities of Hong Kong, and he looked forward to more talent staying in Hong Kong for development in the future.

On the other hand, the HKSAR Government has signed two MOUs with Cambodia, looking to increase new flight routes and frequency between the two places.

Cathay Group's Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam, who joined the delegation led by the CE to the three ASEAN countries, said the Cathay Group, which includes passenger airlines Cathay Pacific and HK Express, currently flies to a total of 17 ASEAN destinations, with over 360 flights per week. To seize growth opportunities with regional markets, the group plans to bolster its network and collaboration across ASEAN.

In line with this vision, and as part of the MoU signed between Lam and Cambodia Airports Chief Executive Officer Cyril Girot, Cathay Pacific will boost its flight frequency to Phnom Penh from five per week to daily starting from 27 October 2024. In addition, HK Express plans to launch a new route to Vietnam's Phu Quoc in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Meanwhile, to embrace the HKSAR Government’s expanded talent schemes to enable skilled professionals from Vietnam, Laos and Nepal to work in Hong Kong since October 2023, Cathay Pacific has recruited more than 170 Vietnamese cabin crew members to join its diverse team earlier this year. Another round of recruitment in Vietnam will be conducted this month.

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Photos / HKSAR Government Press Releases

(Lead images L-R: HKSAR's CE John Lee and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Saleumxay Kommasith; HKSAR's CE John Lee and the Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet; HKSAR's CE John Lee and the President of Vietnam To Lam)