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Following is the full text of a speech by the Secretary for Trade and Industry, Mr Chau Tak Hay, at the launch reception of CargoNet's Arena today (Tuesday):
Mr Clough, Mr Craig, ladies and gentlemen,
I am very pleased today to officiate at this launching ceremony of Arena.
The word "arena" conjures up images of action. How apt it is with the rapid developments in the use of information technology that we are now witnessing is fast changing the way we do business. As Hong Kong is one of the busiest trading centres in the world, we should ensure that we keep pace with and stay ahead of these developments. Electronic commerce is a main key to our continued competitiveness. It enables us to find ways to be more responsive to changing market trends, to work more efficiently and turn out output more cost-effectively. No wonder, then, that electronic commerce is increasingly becoming the norm in carrying out trading procedures.
The Government has long realised that it has a useful role to play in promoting the widespread use of electronic commerce within Hong Kong's business community. It has done so by taking the lead in implementing the electronic submission of selected trade documents. Since last year, the business community has been able to apply for textiles export licences and lodge import and export declarations electronically. At present, about 60 per cent of the licences and 30 per cent of the declarations are so received. We intend to introduce compulsory electronic submission for textiles export licences in January 1999 and import and export declarations in April 2000. We are also working on enabling the electronic submission of other documents like certificates of origin and cargo manifests.
At the end of the day, however, the bulk of commerce resides in the private sector. It is critical that the further development of electronic commerce has the strong support of the private sector. I am therefore pleased to see the presence of a broad spectrum of the private sector in the audience. Your continued interest in electronic commerce is the best guarantee of its success.
Hong Kong is undergoing some tough economic adjustment. Despite this, we should not lose sight of the need for Hong Kong to connect to the Information Age and to position ourselves to maximise the benefits it has already brought and will continue to bring. We need to create a total electronic commerce solution. This can only be achieved through close co-operation of all parties within the business community. I would therefore encourage you to continue to let the Government have your ideas as to how best the Government may work with the private sector to further Hong Kong's competitive edge in the field of electronic commerce.
We witness this evening a concrete example of the effort on the part of the private sector in contributing to progress in this field. I am told that Arena is a home-grown electronic commerce initiative with small and medium businesses in mind and that it creates a dramatically new way of conducting business designed to keep Hong Kong at the forefront of global trade. I am also pleased to know that there are plans to roll out Arena worldwide following the launch this evening. This is solid proof that Hong Kong is rightfully one of the world's business innovators.
In closing, I would like to wish CargoNet every success with the launching of Arena. Thank you.
End/Tuesday, August 25, 1998
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