New Asean Chamber of Commerce launched in Hong Kong will ‘fulfil long-felt need’

Setting up a new regional chamber of commerce will “fulfil a long-felt need” to bridge the gap between the Greater Bay Area and Asean, with Hong Kong acting as a “natural connector”, the business group’s inaugural chairman has said.

But given existing agreements and bilateral relations between the city and individual member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, analysts said the economic benefits introduced by the new chamber were likely to be more modest than dramatic.

The Asean Chamber of Commerce was launched on Tuesday at the South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit 2026.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he was confident the chamber would build on the close ties between Hong Kong and the 11-member bloc, and promote trade and people-to-people ties.

Newly appointed chairman Daniel Fung Wah-kin said: “[The chamber] fulfils a long-felt need, which is to connect the 11 countries of Asean with the GBA … via Hong Kong, which is a natural connector between the two.”

Describing the chamber as “the new kid on the block”, Fung said he was looking to grow the organisation organically, stressing the importance of embracing economies of all sizes to create a “win-win for everyone”.