Chief Executive John Lee met Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia Sun Chanthol today to exchange views on strengthening economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and Cambodia.

Mr Lee welcomed Mr Sun and his delegation to the city to attend the 10th Belt & Road Summit and serve as a keynote speaker at the event.

Noting that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively exploring emerging markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Belt & Road countries, Mr Lee said that Cambodia, with its rapid market development and vast economic potential, offers broad opportunities for co-operation with Hong Kong.

With the two places reaching 13 memoranda of understanding last year that covered economics and trade, aviation, and financial services, Mr Lee emphasised that he is pleased to witness more MOUs between government departments of both places at today's summit to enhance bilateral co-operation.

The Chief Executive highlighted that Cambodia is a strategic partner in the nation's promotion of the Belt & Road Initiative, and that Hong Kong possesses a highly internationalised, market-oriented and business-friendly environment with strengths in capital, technology and market resources that enable it to fully serve as a functional platform for both places to seize the opportunities from the Belt & Road Initiative.

He welcomed enterprises from Cambodia to leverage Hong Kong's role as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" to explore overseas and Mainland markets.

Apart from thanking Cambodia for its support in establishing the International Organization for Mediation, Mr Lee stressed that the establishment of its headquarters in Hong Kong demonstrates the city's strengths in international mediation.

Hong Kong will continue to leverage its advantages of enjoying strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world, thereby contributing to the promotion of the Belt & Road Initiative, he added.