CE John Lee witnesses university cooperation agreements during Kazakhstan visit

Chief Executive John Lee continues his visit in Kazakhstan as cooperation agreements are being signed between higher education institutions in Hong Kong and Kazakhstan.

The ceremony took place at Nazarbayev University in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan where the Kazakh university signed memoranda of understanding with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Education University of Hong Kong -- witnessed by Chief Executive John Lee and officials from both sides.

The University was named after Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's first President after the Central Asian country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, who had ruled the nation for nearly three decades.

The hall was also where President Xi Jinping first proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.

JOHN LEE, Chief Executive: “These agreements will deepen academic and research collaboration. They will strengthen people-to-people ties between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. Let me add that Hong Kong has

its first Central Asian restaurant opened just a few months ago. I always believe that food is a place's best ambassador. I look forward to Kazakh restaurants filling up the streets of Hong Kong, so that the over 500 Kazakh students can help introduce their culture in Hong Kong.”

The memoranda aim to strengthen academic exchanges through the joint supervision and recruitment of high-calibre doctoral students.

Academic institutions from the two places will jointly organise seminars and academic conferences, offer short-term training programmes, and expand student exchange opportunities.

The initiatives are expected to attract more students from Central Asia to pursue higher education in Hong Kong.

Earlier in the day, John Lee visited Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund together with representatives from major businesses and institutions.

Meanwhile, Mary Huen, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Hong Kong & Greater China and North Asia, underscores Hong Kong's role as the world's largest offshore renminbi liquidity pool, handling around 75 percent of global offshore RMB transactions.