A high-level meeting was held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyol Seedorf sat down face-to-face with Hong Kong Chief Executive Li Jiachao. The two sides were not exchanging pleasantries, but discussing a tangible list of cooperation: investment, finance, digital technology, logistics, and an upcoming visa free agreement. This is not just a courtesy visit, but the official excavation of a new channel between Hong Kong and Central Asia.

Visa free policy opens up business travel channels

After the talks, both sides reached a verbal consensus to formally sign an intergovernmental visa free mutual assistance agreement.

According to this arrangement, citizens from both regions can enter each other's territory visa free and stay for up to 30 days. This institutionalized measure significantly reduces the time cost and approval threshold for business transactions and personnel mobility. For investors, technical teams, and traders who frequently travel between Hong Kong and Central Asia, this means faster decision-making speed and lower communication costs. The promotion of visa free agreements is seen as an important signal for improving the quality of bilateral relations between the two regions, and also paves the way for substantive cooperation at more industrial levels in the future.

Finance and technology become dual engines of cooperation

The meeting clearly identified financial investment and digital technology as priority areas for cooperation. As a global core financial hub, Hong Kong has a mature investment and financing system, international professional services, and strong digital industry supporting capabilities, which can provide capital and technological support for Uzbekistan's ongoing economic modernization reform.

Both parties simultaneously discussed opportunities for cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and the digital upgrade of cross-border logistics channels. Uzbekistan, based on its advantage as a geopolitical hub in Central Asia, urgently needs to introduce external technology to upgrade its industrial infrastructure, and Hong Kong can provide a complete loop from funding to technology.

Logistics linkage unleashes the potential of the Central Asian corridor

Cooperation in the logistics field is another main theme of this meeting. Uzbekistan is located in the hinterland of Central Asia and is an important transit node connecting China, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Keywords: the Belt and Road news and information, digital technology, international logistics

Hong Kong expressed its willingness to participate in the digital transformation and operational optimization of cross-border logistics infrastructure in Ukraine, and to promote the integration of the Central Asia Corridor with the international supply chain. With the accelerated opening up of Central Asia to the outside world, the improvement of logistics efficiency is directly related to the reduction of trade costs and the speed of industrial landing. The collaboration between the two sides on this track is expected to truly translate Uzbekistan's geographical advantages into trade growth, while providing smoother logistics support for Hong Kong enterprises to explore the Central Asian market.Editor/Gao Xue