HONG KONG, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 Bauhinia Culture Forum was held here Thursday, bringing about 350 participants from political, business, fintech, and cultural sectors, both at home and abroad, to explore the city's development opportunities and global role in the new era.

Hosted by the Bauhinia Culture Group, the forum was themed "Deepening Global Cooperation, Integrating into National Development." It aimed at showcasing Hong Kong's determination to integrate into the overall national development, and its image as an open, free, inclusive, and safe international hub, so as to attract more enterprises, investment and talent.

John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said at the forum that Hong Kong will actively leverage the dual advantage of having national and global opportunities under the "one country, two systems" principle.

Lee emphasized the city's role as a "super connector" and "value-adder," serving as a two-way springboard for mainland enterprises going global and bringing in foreign investment.

He said the HKSAR government will actively seek to attract more international organizations to establish a presence in Hong Kong, adding that Hong Kong will soon set up an economic and trade office in Kuala Lumpur to strengthen trade promotion in ASEAN and neighboring countries. ■