Edward Yau: Hong Kong will continue to complement and promote free trade with Hainan Free Trade Port.

On March 24th, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 "Global Free Trade Port Development Forum" and stated that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Boao Forum for Asia. The forum has been promoting regional cooperation and has become an important platform for driving economic cooperation in Asia. This year marks the beginning of the country's "14th Five-Year Plan" and the plan fully supports the high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. He congratulated the smooth operation of the island-wide closure of the Hainan free trade port, rapid implementation of policies to facilitate the development of enterprises, and it is an important practice for the country to promote free trade and expand high-level opening to the outside world. He is confident that Hong Kong, as an international trade center, will continue to complement and mutually benefit with the Hainan Free Trade Port, and jointly contribute to the promotion of free trade. John Lee Ka-chiu said that Hong Kong ranks first in the world in terms of the most free economy, and under "one country, two systems", it has the unique advantage of being supported by the motherland and connecting to the world. With a common law system aligned with major global financial centers, a simple and low tax system, and easy flow of people, goods, funds, and data, Hong Kong will continue to firmly implement free trade and multilateralism. It will continue to expand its global trade network, build bridges for investors, create opportunities, and further drive regional economic development and prosperity. John Lee Ka-chiu stated that the country will be the host of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, and the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in October 2026 will be held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the first time. The Hong Kong SAR government will spare no effort to ensure the successful meeting and leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages in internal and external communication under "one country, two systems" to deepen international exchanges and cooperation.