Paul Chan said some state-owned infrastructure companies from Central Asia are preparing to list in Hong Kong as the city works to widen its market reach and build links with a fast-growing region. He did not name the companies or give a timetable. In his weekly blog, he also pointed out that more than 100 firms from Belt and Road economies are already listed in Hong Kong, together worth over HK$340 billion ($43.4 billion).
Chan said Hong Kong's role in China's Belt and Road program is growing, and that the city is deepening economic ties with places covered by the initiative. As part of that push, officials have been selling Hong Kong as a super-connector and a convenient gateway to China and Southeast Asia.
The outreach has been hands-on. Earlier this year, Chief Executive John Lee visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, accompanied by a delegation of private-sector and government representatives, and Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing CEO Bonnie Chan was among them. And in June, the national rail company of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, submitted an application for a Hong Kong IPO to finance building a cross-border rail connection with China.
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If those Central Asian listings arrive, Hong Kong's board could see more infrastructure names tied to trade corridors and logistics buildouts. That means a wider set of companies from a region investing heavily in transport links, showing up in a market many individual investors can already access.
