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The following is a speech of the acting Secretary for Economic Services, Ms Maria Kwan, at the opening ceremony of Elenex/ Luminex/ Securitex/ Airvex/ ABS Exhibitions 2000 today (June 13): (English only)
Good morning, Mr Lau, Mr Cheung, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It's my great honour and pleasure today to open the Asia Elenex 2000 and the associated exhibitions, which has established itself as the region's leading international event on electrical and building installation technologies. The record number of exhibitors and participants this year no doubt bears testimony to the renewed confidence in the economic strength and potential of Asia.
The last Elenex Exhibition was held two years ago, at a time when the Asian miracle was re-coined by many pundits the Asian mirage. However, the resilience of the region has again worked miracle, with most of the economies registering a remarkable turnaround since the beginning of 1999. Hong Kong is no exception. For the first quarter of the year 2000, the Hong Kong economy turned out a spectacular performance with a 14.3 per cent growth in Gross Domestic Product - the fastest since the third quarter of 1987. The distinct growth was broadly based, attributed to a continuing surge in exports of goods and services, as well as a sharp pick-up in both consumption and investment demand. You may in particular be interested to know that investment spending has resumed positive growth after falling for six consecutive quarters, with the main impetus coming from the sharp rebound in acquisition of machinery and equipment. On the back of the very strong performance so far, the Government has revised upward the forecast growth rate for the year 2000 from 5 per cent to 6 per cent. Looking ahead, innovation and technology will be one of the main driving forces of our economic growth. Exhibitions like the Asian Elenex certainly provides an excellent platform for the introduction of the latest innovations and technological advances to the industries. I am sure the exhibitions will have a lot to offer to the exhibitors and visitors, and open the doors to many profitable opportunities.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Asian Elenex 2000 and its associated exhibitions have become a biennial "must-go" event for the regional and international building services industries. It is expected to attract more than 12 000 visitors from Hong Kong and overseas. We are very proud that Hong Kong has been chosen as the venue for this important event since its launch in 1984. Indeed, Hong Kong has an excellent track record of playing host to large-scale events and conventions, signifying the confidence of event organisers in Hong Kong as a first class venue for international conventions and exhibitions. Our state-of-the-art conference and exhibition facilities are underpinned by a world-class infrastructure for conducting business, offering unparalleled services and facilities in banking, finance, transport and telecommunications. We also command the advantageous position of being the gateway of the Mainland of China, as well as other parts of Southeast Asia. During 1999, Hong Kong hosted 1 391 international events, attracting about 343 000 overseas delegates and participants.
Lastly may I wish the organiser and participants a very successful exhibition and in the latter a very enjoyable stay in Hong Kong. I also look forward to welcoming you all again soon. Thank you.
End/Tuesday, June 13, 2000
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