Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee led a delegation on his first visit to Central Asia, and Liu Zhai, Director and Senior Vice President of IBI（Guolian Gufen), was invited to accompany him.

On June 1st, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee led a delegation on a five-day visit to Central Asia, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Liu Zhai, Director and Senior Vice President of IBI（Guolian Gufen), was invited to accompany the delegation.

The delegation, comprised of over 70 business leaders from Hong Kong and mainland China, is the largest and highest-level Hong Kong business delegation to Central Asia to date, covering multiple sectors including finance, logistics, technology, energy, and infrastructure.

During the first leg of the visit, Chief Executive Lee met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Bektenov, among other high-ranking officials, clarifying a new cooperation framework based on two-way collaboration and complementary advantages between the two regions. He also exchanged views with Deputy Prime Minister Khanat Pozmbayev on deepening economic and trade exchanges. In August 2023, Liu Zhai reported to Khanat Pozmbayev in Urumqi on the company's practices and achievements in building an industrial digital economy platform ecosystem, and the two sides exchanged views on cross-border e-commerce development and supply chain digitalization cooperation. This delegation visit marks a crucial step for IBI（Guolian Gufen) in deepening its globalization strategy and promoting the large-scale export of its core industrial internet capabilities to the Central Asian market.

During exchanges with various parties, Liu Zhai systematically elaborated on IBI（Guolian Gufen)'s cooperation strategy in Central Asia. She pointed out that Chinese companies' overseas expansion has evolved from simply exporting goods to the collaborative export of industrial chains, supply chains, and digital capabilities. Kazakhstan, with its advantageous location, industry, and finance, is a priority partner for Guolian's deep cultivation of the Central Asian market. Addressing local needs in industrial upgrading, digital infrastructure, and cross-border logistics, IBI（Guolian Gufen) has implemented six major cooperation directions: digital trade connectivity, industrial digitalization empowerment, efficient cross-border supply chain collaboration, new energy industry cooperation, one-stop services for Chinese companies operating in Central Asia, and AI-powered intelligent infrastructure construction.

To promote efficient connections between Chinese and Kazakh companies, IBI（Guolian Gufen) spearheaded the establishment of the Hebei Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, helping domestic companies to expand overseas collectively. Simultaneously, the Kazakhstan National Headquarters, located in Almaty, will be officially inaugurated in early July this year, integrating digital trade, industrial empowerment, cross-border supply chains, and one-stop services, becoming a strategic hub for the company's services in the Central Asian market. Previously, IBI（Guolian Gufen) had already established its digital economy headquarters in Pakistan. The opening of its Kazakhstan national headquarters will further expand its service network along the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Long-term and stable international cooperation is rooted in industry, centered on mutual trust, and driven by digitalization and supply chain collaboration," Liu Zhai emphasized. In 2025, trade between China and the five Central Asian countries exceeded US$100 billion for the first time, making China the largest trading partner of Central Asia. This visit provides IBI（Guolian Gufen) with an important opportunity to deepen its presence in Central Asia. In the future, the company will use its Kazakhstan national headquarters as a fulcrum to promote industrial complementarity and resource sharing between China and Kazakhstan, creating a replicable new model of cross-border cooperation.