Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of West Asian & North African Affairs Deputy Director General Yang Xin delivered a lecture titled “China-Middle East Relations” at the Civil Service College today.

The lecture is part of a series on the country's foreign affairs organised by the college in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Addressing the talk, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said that Hong Kong, as a key link for the Belt & Road Initiative, can capitalise on its unique advantages under “one country, two systems” to actively participate in and contribute to the initiative, adding that Hong Kong will give full play to its roles as a super connector and super value-adder.

She highlighted that possessing the advantages of being an international city and enjoying the support of mature professional services, Hong Kong has been promoting co-operation with Middle East countries in a wide range of areas such as finance, innovation and technology, business, transportation and energy in recent years. The city has also been playing a bridging role in connecting the Mainland and the Middle East region.

The civil service chief noted that today's talk enabled civil servants to understand how Hong Kong can seize opportunities from the country's overall development and promote deeper and broader co-operation with the Middle East, thereby better supporting national strategies.

Mrs Yeung pointed out that the series on the country's foreign affairs has been well received since its launch. She noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and in celebration of this important day, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will organise a series of celebratory activities. Among the activities organised by the Civil Service Bureau, training on the country's foreign affairs is one of the key initiatives.

About 100 senior officials and civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks attended the talk at the college today.