The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) met with The Honourable Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to discuss ways to deepen economic and investment ties between Qatar’s private sector and Hong Kong. The conversation focused on building new partnerships in several priority sectors, like the financial services, healthcare, logistics, technology and innovation, and trade and investment.
From QBA side, the meeting was attended by board members Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal Al Thani and Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser Al Thani, and QBA members Sheikh Mansoor bin Jassim Al Thani, Abdulsalam Abu Issa, Maqbool Habeeb Khalfan, Dr Jaafar Ali Al Sarraf, Yousef Ebrahim Al Mahmoud and Mohammed Altaf and QBA General Manager Sarah Abdullah.
Chan said the meeting was an important opportunity to present ways of expanding ties between the two business communities, encourage investment in both directions, and connect Qatari companies and investors with their Hong Kong counterparts. The goal, he said, is to move economic relations toward a more diverse stage built on partnerships and long-term investment.
He also outlined what Hong Kong offers as an international financial and trade hub, stressing the value of closer connection between the two business communities and to identify areas where cooperation and joint investment could grow.
The financial services sector was a central theme dusring the meeting. Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal Al Thani said that because both Qatar and Hong Kong have well-developed financial and investment institutions, there is significant room for cooperation between banks, financial institutions, asset managers and investment funds in the coming period.
He said, “We are looking to build practical, long-term partnerships between Qatar’s private sector and Hong Kong’s business community.
We see particularly promising opportunities in financial services, investment, healthcare, logistics and technology. These are sectors where we can combine the expertise and strengths of both sides and open new markets for companies and investors.”
The two sides discussed strengthening links between financial institutions in Qatar and Hong Kong, developing partnerships in asset management, investment and financing, and drawing on Hong Kong’s expertise and financial networks to help Qatari companies and investors expand into Asian markets.
Sheikh Hamad added that the association plans to visit Hong Kong to explore new investment and financing tools that could help mobilize capital and channel it into productive sectors and high-value projects. The delegation will also look at the opportunities Qatar can offer Asian companies and financial institutions seeking to grow their presence in the region.
Sheikh Nawaf Al Thani said QBA members are interested in a range of sectors that support Qatar National Vision 2030, including healthcare, which he described as one of the most promising areas for long-term investment. He highlighted the importance of partnerships that bring together capital, operational expertise and technology to develop healthcare, financial and logistics services and to enable the transfer of knowledge and modern technologies.
“Hong Kong can serve as an important gateway for Qatari investors into China and the wider Asian markets, while Qatar offers an attractive base for Asian companies looking to reach the Gulf and the broader region,” he said. “That is why it is important to move beyond dialogue and exchange visits toward identifying concrete investment opportunities and joint projects that can actually be carried out.”
QBA members also noted that linking Qatar’s logistics capabilities with Hong Kong’s trade and business networks could create significant opportunities for companies on both sides and help open new trade and investment corridors between the Gulf and Asia.
QBA stressed on the importance of closer economic relations with Hong Kong as Asian markets play a growing role in global trade and investment. Expanding cooperation between the two business communities, could open new horizons for companies and investors and support more diverse and sustainable economic ties.
At the close of the meeting, both sides agreed to cooerdinate and to arrange direct meetings between companies, investors and relevant institutions in the priority sectors, with the aim of turning the opportunities discussed into concrete partnerships and projects.