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The Government announced today (October 18) that the first meeting of the Investment Promotion Strategy Group (IPSG), to advise the Financial Secretary on promoting foreign direct investment in Hong Kong, was held this morning.
The Financial Secretary Mr Donald Tsang, who is also the IPSG Chairman, said: "The IPSG comprises four officials and 20 non-officials. The non-officials include top executives in Hong Kong from the international business community, academics, commentators, and representatives of chambers of commerce."
"This will be an excellent forum for the international business sector to make its voice heard. Our objective is to keep Hong Kong competitive," Mr Tsang added.
The non-official members are appointed in their personal capacity. Mr Tsang said he looked forward to members' advice and contribution. "Between them, they would help us attract more and more multinational companies to set up regional headquarters or offices in Hong Kong," he added.
The IPSG is part of the new institutional arrangements to promote inward investment outlined in the 2000-01 Budget. It will advise the Financial Secretary on -
(a) development of Hong Kong's policy and strategy for promoting inward investment;
(b) global and regional business trends and the opportunities thus opened up for Hong Kong to attract inward investment;
(c) the action needed to improve Hong Kong's competitiveness, particularly in the target business sectors;
(d) the effectiveness and value of the aftercare programme;
(e) "soft" business intelligence; and
(f) developing contacts with prospective targets.
The four officials in the IPSG are the Financial Secretary; the Secretary for Commerce and Industry, Mr CHAU Tak Hay; the Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Mike Rowse; and the Government Economist, Mr Tang Kwong-yiu.
A full list of the non-official members, together with a brief description of their background, is given below in alphabetical order:
|
Member |
Field |
Principal Business/Occupation |
| ¡@ | ¡@ | ¡@ |
|
Mr Alex Arena |
Multi Media |
Deputy Chairman, Executive Committee, Pacific Century CyberWorks |
|
Mr Bill Barney |
Telecommunication Services |
President, Asia Pacific MCI WorldCom Asia Pacific Limited |
|
Mr Graham Brant |
Information Technology |
General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong Limited |
|
Mr Norman Chan |
Financial Services |
Deputy Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority |
|
Professor Leonard Cheng |
Academic |
Head, Department of Economics, HKUST |
|
Mr Chia Kok Onn |
Technology |
Executive Vice President (Hong Kong), Walden International Investment Group |
|
Mr Greg Consiglio |
Technology |
Managing Director, AOL Asia Limited |
|
Mr David Cunningham |
Transportation Services |
President, Asia Pacific Federal Express Corporation |
|
Mr David Dodwell |
Public Affairs |
Executive Director, Golin/Harris Forrest |
|
Professor Michael Enright |
Academic |
Professor, School of Business, HKU |
|
Mr Ekkehard Goetting |
Chamber of Commerce |
Executive Director, German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong |
|
Brigadier Christopher Hammerbeck |
Chamber of Commerce |
Executive Director, British Chamber |
|
Mr Hiroshi Ito |
Trade Related Services |
Chairman & Managing Director, Mitsui & Co (HK) Ltd |
|
Mr Stephen Long |
Financial Services |
Executive Vice-President, Citibank N.A. |
|
Mr Frank Martin |
Chamber of Commerce |
President, American Chamber of Commerce |
|
Mr Kjell Sorme |
Telecommunication Services |
President, Ericsson Asia-Pacific Limited |
|
Mr Michael Sze |
Trade Related Services |
Executive Director, Hong Kong Trade Development Council |
|
Mr Rob Westerhof |
Electronics |
President & CEO, Philips Electronics China Group |
|
Dr Eden Woon |
Chamber of Commerce |
Director, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce |
|
Mr Kichiryo Yamaguchi |
Trade Related Services |
Managing Director, Nissho Iwai Hong Kong Corporation Limited |
End/Wednesday, October 18, 2000
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