Chief Executive John Lee says he is hoping to drum up support for Hong Kong's application to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade pact as he leads a delegation on a week-long trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

RCEP, which includes the 10 Asean states, mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, is the world's largest free trade area by GDP.

Speaking at the airport before leaving the SAR on Sunday, Lee said Hong Kong's participation would be a win-win for both Hong Kong and the existing RCEP members.

He added that there is unlimited development potential in Asean countries and the region is becoming the biggest momentum in the world for economic growth.

"Our Hong Kong team's morale is high, we will use this trip to tell them about all of the SAR's business opportunities, tell a good Hong Kong story and promote the SAR so that we have even greater development chances," the CE said.

Lee noted that Asean is Hong Kong's second biggest trade partner and that the bloc's GDP grew by 5.5 percent last year.

He is due to meet Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other top officials on Monday and will also hold talks with business leaders to try to boost ties with the city-state.