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Following is the transcript of the remarks made by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, when he hosted a dinner in honour of the members of the Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology, at Government House this (Tuesday) evening (English only):

Mr Tung: Chang-Lin, we gather here tonight, really, for the purpose of thanking you and the whole Commission for the work you have done for Hong Kong. In a very short space of time, less than a year-and-a-half, I think the Commission has achieved far more than I, personally, have ever dreamed of.

So, I want to take this opportunity to thank every one of you for the enormous efforts. The Commission has been able to set a new direction, or provide a new direction, for Hong Kong to move forward in the area of innovation and technology.

The Commission has been able to create a consensus in the community to enable us to move forward, and the Commission has been able to draw the best out of the private sector for us to move forward. Because, after all, what can the Government do? We can only provide the necessary infrastructure and the necessary support. It is the private sector which has to make it happen and the Commission has been able do this.

The community now realises how important innovation and technology is for the community as a whole. We also realise that if we are to survive in the future, innovation is the key, and innovation and technology is the key drive to our future success.

But it is really the Commission's work which has, in a very short space of time, enabled us to forge the community to move forward.

I would like, also, to thank particularly, Chang-Lin, my good friend, for what he has done as Chairman of this Commission. It is a tremendous sacrifice for Chang-Lin. Coming back and forth. Just last month, four times shuttling back and forth between San Francisco and Hong Kong. Chang-Lin, not just your vision, which is very important, but your persistence, your persuasiveness, your international standing, whether it's in Washington, San Francisco or in Beijing. You have made a very strong case to galvanise the Hong Kong community together.

So, if today, few years later we look back to what we have done in areas of innovation and technology, I think we owe, as a community, a great deal to every one of you here, the whole Commission, and particularly Chang-Lin, for your tremendous efforts. Thank you very much. Thank you all.

Photo: The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, hosted a dinner at Government House tonight to express his thanks for the dedicated effort and significant contribution by the Chairman and members of the Commission on Innovation and Technology in mapping out the way for Hong Kong's development into a knowledge-driven and technology-intensive economy. The Commission's Second and Final Report was submitted to Mr Tung yesterday. Mr Tung is seen photographed with the Commission's Chairman, Professor Chang-Lin Tien, and members before the dinner.

End/Tuesday, July 6, 1999

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