Hong Kong poised to connect GBA, ASEAN - Chief Executive Lee
HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John KC Lee highlighted the promise of collaboration between two of the world’s most dynamic economic engines - the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) - with Hong Kong acting as a “connector” to facilitate the free flow of trade.
Speaking at the GBA-ASEAN Summit, Lee said the two economic powerhouses have what it takes to form a powerful and complementary partnership, one offering distinct advantages, in what he described as “the troubled waters of everchanging geopolitics.”
The GBA-ASEAN Summit 2026 was organized by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), in partnership with the HK-ASEAN Foundation and the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce. The summit brought together 500 senior government officials and speakers from Hong Kong, the GBA, and ASEAN member states, among them, the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque, Timor Leste’s Vice Prime Minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, Augusto Júnior Trindade, Vice Minister of Commerce and Industry, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste; Dr. Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Indonesia, and Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
“Both ASEAN and the Greater Bay Area are, after all, ocean-facing. Our economies sail the same waters, our ambitions ride the same waves, and our prosperity could rise with the same currents,” Lee said.
He added that Hong Kong, a free port, is uniquely positioned to connect the two economic powerhouses and enable the smooth flow of trade, investment and innovation, thus, creating opportunities to reward both regions.
For her part, SCMP Publisher Tammy Tam, said that at a time of geopolitical tensions that create widespread uncertainty and deepening fragmentation, international capital and businesses are shifting focus towards the stability and immense potential that
Asia offers.
“The mandate is clear: stability is essential for building, mobility for scaling, and agility for sustaining growth. Asia delivers on all three,” she said.
She added: “As global capital flows consolidate into a select few highly connected hubs, Hong Kong stands out at the
very heart of this shift. Long recognised as the international financial and wealth management centre, our city serves as the region’s definitive “super connector” and “super value-adder.”
”I’m very proud to repeat that Hong Kong has recently overtaken Switzerland as the world’s largest cross-border wealth hub,” Tam stressed.
She added that Hong Kong has a unique role to play and has the advantages of combining strengths of the city, the Mainland, and the international market, under the “one country, two systems” special governing formula.
Daryl Ng, chairman of the HK-ASEAN Foundation, said ASEAN, home to close to 700 million people, is one of the world's most dynamic growth engines, and plays an increasingly crucial role in the global supply chain, advanced manufacturing, and transition to greener energy.
“Hong Kong, in the middle of GBA and ASEAN, is ideally positioned to act as a bridge connecting these two enormous catchments,” Ng said.