On the 24th, the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Paul Chan, stated that the exchanges between Hong Kong and the Middle East have been deepening in recent years, involving a wider range of fields including finance, commerce, culture, arts, and sports. These interactions help deepen our understanding and recognition of each other's culture, history, and customs, and also lay a deep and solid foundation for future cooperation in other fields. Chen Maobo posted on his blog on the same day that Hong Kong is at a favorable historical opportunity to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the Middle East region. The country is actively promoting cooperation with countries in the "Global South", striving to achieve mutually beneficial and win-win common development with various regions, so that Hong Kong can fully play its role as a "super contact" and "super value-added person" under the "One Country, Two Systems" policy. In recent years, multiple Middle Eastern countries have proposed development blueprints with the goal of achieving economic diversification beyond the energy industry, accelerating infrastructure and industrial development, especially in the fields of finance and innovative technology. This has also brought new opportunities for Hong Kong's finance, innovation, and other professional services. Chen Maobo cited data indicating that personnel exchanges between Hong Kong and the Middle East are becoming increasingly frequent. In 2024, the number of visitors from Gulf countries to Hong Kong increased by 70% year-on-year, and in the first seven months of this year, it increased by more than half. The total bilateral trade between Hong Kong and the Gulf region is expected to reach HKD 150 billion by 2024, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 11% over the past five years; Hong Kong is the seventh largest trading partner of the United Arab Emirates. The SAR government is intensifying efforts to establish an economic and trade office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to further promote economic, trade, and cultural relations between Hong Kong and the Middle East and North Africa. Chen Maobo said that in addition to the Middle East, the linkage between Hong Kong and Central Asia is also strengthening. A natural resources company rooted in Kazakhstan will soon go public in Hong Kong; This is the world's first project to be listed simultaneously on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Astana International Exchange in Kazakhstan, and also the first stock in Central Asia to be priced in Chinese yuan. This not only marks a further cooperation between the financial markets of Hong Kong and Central Asia, but also opens a new page in the internationalization of the renminbi. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Chan Mo po stated that the SAR government team will continue to promote the advantages and business opportunities of Hong Kong and the mainland around the world, in order to consolidate and deepen multi-level and multi field exchanges and cooperation with emerging markets, and explore more development opportunities for local enterprises and institutions. (New Society)