Financial Secretary Paul Chan met various financial leaders as he began a visit to Doha, Qatar.

On his first day in the country, Mr Chan met Qatar's Minister of Finance H.E. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari to exchange views on various topics, such as strengthening co-operation between Hong Kong and Qatar.

After the meeting, Mr Chan held in-depth exchanges with local business leaders from various sectors. He briefed them on Hong Kong's strengths and invited Qatari enterprises and investors to participate in the development of the Northern Metropolis.

The finance chief also met President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Zou Jiayi.

Mr Chan commended the AIIB's establishment of an office in Hong Kong and said he looked forward to expanding co-operation with it in areas such as catastrophe bond issuance, green finance, technology and innovation, and talent training.

Throughout the day, Mr Chan met a number of political, business and financial leaders, including Doha Venture Capital's Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Al-Abdulla and Chief Financial Officer Niall Byrne; Qatar Investment Authority Chief of Investment Execution Ken McLaren; and the senior management of Lesha Bank Group and Al Asmakh Group Holding.

In the evening, Mr Chan attended the AIIB President's Reception, hosted by Ms Zou, where he exchanged views with representatives from several governments, multilateral development organisations, businesses and financial institutions.

Mr Chan will continue his itinerary in Doha today, attending events related to the AIIB Annual Meeting, before departing for Hong Kong late into the night.