Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan said some Central Asian state-owned infrastructure companies are planning to list in the city, as part of efforts to diversify markets and strengthen ties with the Belt and Road region. More than 100 companies from Belt and Road regions, with a total market capitalization exceeding HK$340 billion ($43.4 billion), are currently listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Chan noted Hong Kong’s growing role in the Chinese initiative and its expansion of economic ties with regions under the global trade and infrastructure program.

The city is positioning itself as a “super-connector” and gateway into China and Southeast Asia. Earlier this year, Chief Executive John Lee visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with a delegation that included Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. CEO Bonnie Chan. Kazakhstan’s national railway operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, filed for an IPO in Hong Kong in June to fund a cross-border rail link with China.

Chan did not name the firms planning listings or provide a timeline.