Hong Kong–Pakistan relations refers to the

bilateral relationship Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Hong Kong and Pakistan were once both

British colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

, until Pakistan achieved

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1947, and the United Kingdom retreated from Hong Kong in 1997. A Pakistan Consulate was established in

Wan Chai Wan Chai (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 灣仔) is located in the western part of Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is bounded by Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal St ...

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

in Hong Kong.

Migration

A number of Pakistanis migrated to Hong Kong throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, when many of them worked and traveled as merchant ships sailors. Prior to 1947 when Pakistan was part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, these Pakistanis migrated to British Hong Kong under the identity of

British Indians British Indians are citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India. Currently, the British Indian population exceeds 2 million people in the UK, making them the single largest visible ethnic minority populatio ...

. Nowadays, Pakistani descendants form 0.2% of Hong Kong's total population, with most of them being Muslims. Pakistani communities such as the Pakistani Association of Hong Kong were established in Hong Kong to enhance social relations between the two.

Trade

In 2014, the value of exports from Hong Kong to Pakistan was worth 1.232 billion

Hong Kong dollars The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of Hong Kong. It is divided into 100 cents. Historically, it was also divided into 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...

, while the importing goods from Pakistan to Hong Kong was worth 2.917 billion

. Major exports from Hong Kong are

telephones A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

(24%) and broadcasting accessories (5.2%). Major exports from Pakistan to Hong Kong are non-retail pure cotton yarn (36%), and tanned

equine Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, known from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. They originated in North America, before dispersing to every continent except Australia and Antarctica. They are ...

and

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including Bos, cattle, bison, African buffalo, Bubalus, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this gro ...

hides (20%).

Education

On January 5, 2023, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between

Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training () is a federal ministry of the Government of Pakistan. The ministry's political head is known as thMinister of Pakistanand the ministry's bureaucratic head is the Education Secretary ...

of Pakistan and

Education Bureau The Education Bureau (EDB) is a policy bureau responsible for formulating and implementing education policies in Hong Kong. The bureau is headed by the Secretary for Education and oversees agencies including University Grants Committee ...

of Hong Kong to strengthen educational ties between both countries. It was signed between Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin and Consul-General of Pakistan in Hong Kong Bilal Ahmad Butt. Visiting Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin-ul-Haque witnessed the signing. The Deputy Consul General of Pakistan Malik Muhammad Asim was also present on that occasion. In September, 2023 Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Hong Kong Examination Assessment Authority to conduct examinations in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

as an international language for students in Hong Kong.

Strategic relations

Pakistan was among the first countries to start an official diplomatic relations with the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. And

China–Pakistan relations Bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of China (PRC) were established in 1950, when the Dominion of Pakistan was among the first countries to sever diplomatic relations with the Republic of China ( ...

have been among the closest and most supportive diplomatic relationship since then. With the tight binds between Hong Kong and

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

since 1997, the warmth of Hong Kong–Pakistan relations has continued and that economic ties between the two are expected to increase as both are included in the Chinese strategic One Belt, One Road area. The Hong Kong Government will expand the scope of the Targeted Scholarship Scheme, to cover the whole Belt and Road region, as well as to allocate $200 million to support the professional services sector in launching publicity and arranging exchanges and co-operation with the Belt and Road countries; launch a Belt and Road Portal; and set up Belt and Road Steering Committee and Office. Hong Kong has a strong presence in the development of Pakistani strategic coastal economic plans. Gwadar Special Economic Zone is located near a 2,282 acre free trade area in Gwadar which is being modelled on the lines of the

Special Economic Zones of China The Special Economic Zones of China (SEZ) are designated areas with economic policies and regulations designed to attract foreign business. These zones have more Free market, market-oriented business regulations compared to the rest of the country. ...

. The swathe of land was handed to the China Overseas Port Holding Company in November 2015 as part of a 43-year lease. The company is based in Hong Kong and will be in full charge of Gwadar Port, the third-largest port in Pakistan, the international airport and a sea area management company in Gwadar. Gwadar is speculated by many as "Hong Kong West", "New Hong Kong" or "Pakistan’s Hong Kong".

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then from 1997 to 1999 and later ...

arrived in Hong Kong on 16 May 2017 for a three-day visit and meeting with

Hong Kong Chief Executive The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of Governor of ...

Leung Chun Ying Leung Chun-ying ( zh, t=梁振英; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Confer ...

Government House, Hong Kong Government House, located on Government Hill in Central, Hong Kong, is the official residence of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. It was constructed in 1855 as a Colonial Renaissance-style building, but was significantly remodelled durin ...

on 17 May 2017.Pakistani PM to visit HK
May 12, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Kong-Pakistan relations

Bilateral relations of Pakistan Hong Kong and the Commonwealth of Nations

Migration

Trade

Education

Strategic relations

See also

References