The UAE will participate in the Belt and Road Summit, which will be held on Monday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to discuss the progress of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, aimed at developing the economies of countries located on, what was known as, the Silk Road, and expanding commercial and economic ties between them.

The participating delegation is chaired by Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Under-Secretary for Foreign Trade and Industry at the Ministry of Economy, and includes several senior officials and businesspeople.

The Ministry of Economy recently held a coordination meeting with the delegation to discuss the plan of action during this event.

Participants include over 40 prominent international speakers, more than 2,400 government officials and businessmen from 48 countries, 60 official delegations from throughout the world, 40 presenters, 160 supporting organisations, as well as over 400 people who will attend the various workshops at the summit.

Al Saleh said that the summit has gained great importance due to the interest of the UAE in the Belt and Road initiative, and noted that the country is considered the main commercial partner of China and Hong Kong in the Middle East and North Africa.

He highlighted that China was among the most important commercial partners of the UAE in the past year, with trade reaching AED170 billion, while trade with Hong Kong in the same period reached AED32.1 billion.

He said that the participation of the Ministry of Economy in this international event confirms the important role that the UAE could play in the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative, due to its advanced infrastructure, in terms of ports, airports and roads network.

Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi, Director of the Commercial Promotion and Investment Administration at the Ministry of Economy, confirmed the keenness of the UAE to promote ties of partnership and economic cooperation with Hong Kong and its great interest in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

The participating delegation in the conference includes 38 representatives of local and federal authorities in the country, he explained, adding that the event will showcase opportunities to promote commercial exchange with people in business from the UAE and Hong Kong, where available investment options will be discussed.