Hong Kong to ‘radiate’ mainland China’s strengths to aid belt and road nations

Hong Kong’s chief executive has pledged to harness the city’s unique advantages to bring mainland China’s strengths, technology and compassion to the belt and road nations while fostering people-to-people ties at the launch of a charity’s headquarters founded by a former city leader.

“Hong Kong has been leveraging its ‘hard power’ in professional services and ‘soft power’ in social cohesion to foster people-to-people bonds in belt and road countries,” Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said at the opening of the GX Foundation’s global headquarters in Sai Ying Pun on Saturday.

Lee touted the foundation’s efforts, led by former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, to provide humanitarian medical and public health aid and to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases across multiple nations.

The foundation was established by Leung in 2018 and focuses on humanitarian aid in countries under the Belt and Road Initiative, such as treating cataract blindness, combating dengue fever and improving water safety. Its work has already extended across 10 countries, including Honduras, Fiji, Laos, Cambodia and Djibouti.

Lee added that the foundation had been actively promoting transnational exchanges and cooperation by offering training and internships in humanitarian aid to young people.

“[The Foundation] nurtures the humanitarian spirit that embraces the world and inspires future generations to be a new force in foreign aid, demonstrating China’s commitment to building a community with a shared future,” Lee said.

“Hongkongers are proficient in both Chinese and English and possess extensive networks spanning the mainland and the world.