Lee touts Hong Kong’s cross-currency green finance role
Bastillepost · 5 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago5 MIN
Summary
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (李家超) used the Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference in Hong Kong on Monday to set out a broader pitch for the city as a financing, technology and standards platform for green development. He said Hong Kong can connect green projects with international capital and pointed to the government’s latest digital green bonds as evidence that the city can raise funds across multiple currencies for green projects. He also announced that the government plans to launch a Green Tech Hub programme next year and is working with the National Energy Administration on Hong Kong’s first supercharging technology demonstration station.
Key Points
- The Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference opened in Hong Kong on October 26, its first time in the city, under the theme of green transition and sustainable development.
- Lee said green transition requires joint effort, and that multilateral cooperation can deliver more than unilateral action by pooling resources, expertise and innovation.
- He said Hong Kong has led Asia’s international green and sustainable bond issuance market for eight straight years, accounting for about 40% of the regional total.
- Lee cited last month’s digital green bond issue, worth about HK$20 billion and covering Hong Kong dollars, renminbi, US dollars and euros, as proof of cross-currency fundraising capacity.
- He said next year’s Green Tech Hub programme and a planned supercharging technology demonstration station will help connect markets, standards and commercial deployment.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong, the government is positioning green finance as more than bond issuance, tying it to technology transfer, standards-setting and project management across Belt and Road markets. If that approach gains traction, local financial, engineering and professional services firms could see more opportunities in cross-border green infrastructure and clean technology projects linked through the city.