Central Asia tipped to be Hong Kong’s next logistics hub: Airport Authority head
Airport Authority chairman Fred Lam says Central Asia could become Hong Kong’s next logistics hub as war-related disruptions hit the Middle East and Russia.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Fred Lam said Central Asia may replace the Middle East as Hong Kong’s next cargo hub because conflicts have disrupted routes through the Middle East and Russia. He also said Hong Kong airport passenger traffic could reach 70 million this year, close to pre-Covid levels.
Hong Kong is looking for a new place to help send goods around the world, like choosing a better road when traffic gets jammed. Fred Lam says Central Asia could be that new road because other routes are being disrupted.
Analysis
What Lam is arguing
Airport Authority chairman Fred Lam Tin-fuk said Central Asia could become a strategic logistics hub for Hong Kong because wars in the Middle East and Europe have disrupted cargo flows through those regions. He described the area as potentially becoming a terminal linking Asia and Europe, not just a new market to sell into.
Why Central Asia
Lam’s logic is geographical and practical: Central Asia sits between the Middle East and Russia, both of which have faced cargo disruption because of military conflicts. The article says cargo volume between Hong Kong and two countries in the region has risen nearly fivefold year on year, suggesting the route is already gaining traction.
Wider trip context
Lam made the remarks after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu returned from a trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The delegation was unusually large, with more than 30 local business leaders and around 30 mainland Chinese entrepreneurs. Lam joined the Kazakhstan leg, while Airport Authority chief executive Vivian Cheung Kar-fay visited Uzbekistan.
What else Lam said
Lam also said Hong Kong airport passenger traffic could reach 70 million this year, which would bring it back to nearly pre-Covid levels. That makes the airport’s cargo and passenger recovery part of the same broader story: Hong Kong is trying to regain momentum while looking for new regional links.
Key points
- Fred Lam said Central Asia could become Hong Kong’s next logistics hub because war disruptions have hit cargo routes in the Middle East and Russia.
- He said the region could serve as a terminal connecting Asia and Europe, not just as a new market.
- Cargo volume between Hong Kong and two Central Asian countries has surged nearly fivefold year on year, according to the article.
- Lam also said Hong Kong airport passenger traffic could reach 70 million this year, close to pre-Covid levels.
- The remarks came after Chief Executive John Lee’s trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with a large business delegation.
If the Central Asia push works, Hong Kong could strengthen its role as a cargo link between Asia and Europe. The reported jump in cargo volume suggests there may already be real demand for the route.
The idea depends on conflicts and route disruptions continuing to make existing corridors less reliable. If those conditions ease, Central Asia may prove less essential than expected, and the cargo shift could slow.
