John Lee's delegation signed 96 agreements and MOUs in Central Asia

Chief Executive John Lee's delegation to Central Asia signed 96 cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding with various organisations in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

One of the MOUs involves the Hong Kong Palace Museum exchanging collections with the State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan was a hub on the ancient Silk Road. Exchanges between China and the region can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty, when Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions passed through "Dayuan", near present-day Uzbekistan.

During Chief Executive John Lee's trip to Central Asia, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan.

The cooperation will focus on research, exhibitions, education, and talent training, including co-curating exhibitions and bringing Uzbekistan's collections to Hong Kong, with the goal of exchanging collections between the two by 2028.

Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa, Museum Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, hopes to use this opportunity to bring the history of Uzbekistan and the Silk Road to Hong Kong audiences.

And Uzbekistan and Hong Kong may soon be sharing not just history but technology. A mainland technology company has joined the Hong Kong delegation and is introducing 3D data technology to Uzbekistan. It hopes to bring mainland and Hong Kong technology, experience, management methods and tools to help the Central Asian country develop its smart city planning, according to Chen Li, President of Shaanxi Tirain Technology.

Chen points out that the development of the Central Asian market is in its early stages, and this could offer many opportunities for outsiders to help develop the digital economy.