'Middle East is a very promising market'
Businesses in Hong Kong has called on the government to do more to boost exchanges with the Middle East, saying there are “enormous opportunities” for expansion in the Gulf Region.  Speaking at a forum organised by the Belt and Road Office on Thursday, many entrepreneurs said there’s great potential to expand into Saudi Arabia, saying the country has undergone significant changes over the past few years.  “In order to use a new technology, openness is important. I understand there are a lot of fears about AI… we found the Saudi market is another market with open minds, that’s why we have lots of AI applications there,” Jessie Lin, vice president of artificial intelligence firm SenseTime, said.  Patrick Tsang, chairman of family business Tsangs Group, also said he sees great potential in the Saudi market.  “I see Saudi Arabia like China in the late 1990s or early 2000s, the next five to ten years are where the opportunities of growth is, from cleantech, renewables, to construction, entertainment, digital services, and video games,” he noted.  “Now is the best time to enter the Middle East markets.”  However, Tsang said there are considerable cultural differences between the two places, and while the SAR government has already done a lot to facilitate business development, it can do more to boost social and cultural exchanges.