HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee on Wednesday met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov to exchange views on boosting bilateral cooperation.

Noting that Hong Kong and Uzbekistan are both active participants in the Belt and Road Initiative, Lee said that there is broad scope for cooperation.

Hong Kong will continue to deepen international exchanges, explore Belt and Road markets, and strengthen collaboration with Uzbekistan in wide-ranging areas, said Lee.

He welcomed Uzbek enterprises to establish a presence in Hong Kong and leverage Hong Kong's advantages as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" to explore mainland and global markets.

In terms of promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two sides, Lee pointed to the fact that the HKSAR government has set up a Task Force on Study in Hong Kong and launched a Belt and Road Scholarship for outstanding students around the world.

Lee said he would love to see more young people from Uzbekistan come to Hong Kong for further studies and career development.

Aripov is scheduled to visit China from May 6 to 7, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.