Hong Kong is next to Shenzhen, a center for innovation and entrepreneurship. As a natural partner, Hong Kong can join forces with China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation zone and Fujian province, which is a core area for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Hong Kong's strength in the service sector and that of its neighboring provinces in manufacturing have great potential in exploring the international markets.
As a free port from the very beginning and the world's freest economy for 22 years in a run, Hong Kong maintains close economic and trade relations with most countries and regions in the world, he said.
"After the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, an all-round, wide-ranging and high-level form of exchange and cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong has taken shape."
According to Zhang, many opening-up policies of the mainland were first experimented and practiced in Hong Kong.
"This offers a good foundation for Hong Kong to seize new opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative and achieve new progress."
Hong Kong is a developed economy with a diverse and advanced service sector, an important international financial, shipping and trade center with the world's largest offshore RMB market, and one of the world's most favorite places of arbitration.
"In accounting, law, consultancy, tourism, infrastructure development, engineering design and other fields, Hong Kong may offer a variety of services to countries along the Belt and Road routes," Zhang said.
Noting that Hong Kong has been an important window for cultural exchanges between the East and the West and for interaction among various civilizations for decades, the top Chinese legislator said it has created a distinctive culture that integrates the Chinese and Western civilizations.
Southeast Asia is an important region for Belt and Road development thanks to people-to-people connections. Lots of ethnic Chinese went there from Guangdong via Hong Kong in the early years, and many ethnic Chinese doing business there have their origin in Guangdong, which like Hong Kong, is part of the Cantonese culture circle.
"This laid down the cultural foundation for deepening exchange and cooperation," said Zhang.
