Hong Kong leader John Lee to meet ‘senior Saudi officials, top executives of oil giant Aramco’ during trip to Middle East
- Meetings between Saudi officials, executives of world’s largest oil company and Chief Executive John Lee are scheduled for Sunday and Monday, sources say
- John Lee has only said he plans to meet senior officials and business representatives, join forums and visit local enterprises in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
Hong Kong’s leader will meet senior Saudi Arabian officials and top executives of state oil giant Aramco in the hope of luring it to the city’s bourse for a listing, the Post has learned, as he expressed optimism about securing investment and development opportunities in the Middle East before setting off on Saturday.
Sources said the high-level closed-door meetings between Saudi officials, executives of the world’s largest oil company and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu were scheduled for Sunday and Monday, the first two days of his week-long trip to the Gulf.
“Officials have prepared well [for the occasion], but nothing can be guaranteed,” an insider said, adding that one event would be a tech conference to be held on Monday.
Lee’s delegation will arrive in Saudi capital Riyadh three months after a visit by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who revealed at the time that bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) had been reaching out to Saudi Aramco for a secondary listing.
The oil producer, one of the world’s most valuable companies, has a market capitalisation of around US$2 trillion. All eyes are on whether Lee will be able to report progress in wooing it or other enterprises to the Hong Kong exchange.
Lee did not disclose the potential meeting when he set off on his second overseas visit as leader, saying only that he planned to meet senior officials and business representatives, join forums and visit local enterprises in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to tell “good stories about Hong Kong”.