The Ng Teng Fong · Sino Group Belt and Road Research Institute (NSBRRI) at Hong Kong Chu Hai College has launched a series of exclusive policy roundtable, bringing together leaders to advance academic cooperation, diplomacy, and multilateral research along Belt and Road corridors.

The first session was convened in the presence of College President Ms. Jane ZHANG and Professor Thomas Chan, Director of NSBRRI. President Lord Edwin E. Hitti of the Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry was the distinguished guest.

College President Ms. Jane Zhang delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the College’s vision for academic excellence and a deep commitment to internationalization. She remarked, “Our mission is to foster global partnerships that create innovative solutions for shared challenges.” She reiterated the positive role of the College as a private institution in the Five-year plan of Hong Kong and the 15th Five-year plan of China.

Lord Hitti delivered a keynote briefing on academic and commercial integration between the Greater Bay Area (GBA), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), broader Middle East region and highlighted the Chamber’s achievements including developing the Hong Kong Islamic Finance Index.

Professor Thomas Chan, Director of NSBRRI, presented the Institute’s official briefing and research overview, underscoring its role as a knowledge hub for evidence-based solutions along Belt and Road Initiative corridors. Professor Chan outlined a strategic roadmap to expand institutional capacity, focusing on targeted student campaigns to recruit and integrate high-caliber scholars from Arab nations into the Institute’s Post-Graduate Programs. Such enrollment diversification aims to deepen cross-cultural knowledge exchange, enhance the Institute’s regional research, and position the College as a leading center for sub-national academic diplomacy within the global BRI network.

The plenary dialogue identified core pillars for future institutional cooperation, with a focus on advanced research and knowledge sharing. Both organizations agreed to collaborate on expanding global academic platforms on campus. The parties formalized schedules for book launches.

The partnership will also broaden international human capital corridors through study tours, designed to bridge knowledge gaps between the GBA and Arab financial ecosystems and cultivate future leaders with a global perspective. The partnership will include policy tracking on Islamic finance frameworks, with a focus on deploying alternative financial instruments and asset-backed clearing mechanisms.

Addressing complex challenges requires collaborative, cross-border solutions. By transforming passive outreach into active institutional partnerships, the Institute leverages Hong Kong’s unique position as a super-connector. The session concluded with a mutual commitment to position Hong Kong Chu Hai College as an internationally connected hub for global governance innovation.