Chief Executive Carrie Lam met Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng at the Chief Executive's Office today.

Welcoming Mr Lim's visit to Hong Kong, Mrs Lam said Malaysia is an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is Hong Kong's second largest trading partner. 

She said she believes after the Free Trade Agreement and the related Investment Agreement signed between the two sides come into effect next year, co-operation will be enhanced.

Mrs Lam said Hong Kong and Malaysia can explore more collaboration and exchanges in various areas including education and finance.

The Hong Kong Scholarship for "Belt & Road" Students (Malaysia) launched by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government at the end of 2016 has attracted 20 outstanding Malaysian students to pursue undergraduate studies in the city.

She said she hopes more Malaysian students will come to Hong Kong to study and engage in research work.

Mrs Lam also said she welcomes enterprises from different countries or regions, including Malaysia, to list in Hong Kong to leverage Hong Kong's position as an international financial centre to develop their businesses.

She added the HKSAR Government organises large-scale international conferences with different themes every year, including the Asian Financial Forum and the Belt & Road Summit.

Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Lim to attend these conferences in the future.