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The following is the speech (English only) by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at the Hong Kong-New Zealand Dinner in Auckland today (November 6):

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good Evening. And thank you all for coming here tonight to enjoy a little bit of Hong Kong hospitality in this beautiful 'City of Sails'. I don't think there could be a nicer setting for us to formally launch the Hong Kong-New Zealand 2000 promotion, particularly as some international surveys show that Auckland is one of the top 10 cities in the world in which to live.

It has been 35 years since I first visited New Zealand and I am delighted to be back. Perhaps we can take a leaf out of your book to get Hong Kong into the top 10. Of course, those of us living there believe we're number one already! But we can always improve. So tonight, I will give you just a glimpse of what Hong Kong is all about. But I promise to keep my remarks brief as I don't want to spoil your appetite for the good food and entertainment to follow.

I don't think we could have chosen a better time to be advocating the advantages of Hong Kong just as our economy is picking up after the ravages of the Asian financial turmoil. And from a New Zealand standpoint, the strength of the Hong Kong dollar, which is linked to the US dollar, should be an added impetus for your exporters to be doubling their efforts to push their products into our market. They will certainly be very competitively priced.

But let me take a step back and bring you up to date with how we have been faring. It's now three-and-a-half years since our reunification with China on July the 1st, 1997. We then faced the proverbial 64-dollar question - would Hong Kong survive and remain a global beacon of capitalism? We've answered that question with a resounding "yes". I'm here representing Hong Kong in the position I held prior to the handover. Continuity and stability have always been important to Hong Kong, and that is precisely what we continue to enjoy.

What difficulties we may have encountered since 1997 have not come from the Central Government in Beijing. They have been scrupulous in honouring their commitment to allowing Hong Kong people to run Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy. The difficulties have stemmed from the Asian financial crisis. But even then we took advantage of the crisis to ring in a series of reforms and changes and are now much better equipped to face the challenges of the information age. We have reinforced our position as a leading international financial, business and services centre; a communications and transportation hub; the gateway to the mainland of China; an incubator of innovation and high technology; and a reinvigorated tourism centre.

That's how we have been positioning ourselves going into the 21st century as the World City in Asia. We have much to do, and with friends like you here in New Zealand, we can achieve our goal. We are already your seventh largest export market, tens of thousands of Hong Kong people have studied in New Zealand or emigrated here. I hope our promotion here, the first we have held in New Zealand, will herald a new era in our relations - stronger links with a country with which we have such a lot in common through family ties, trade, business and the corresponding institutions of civil society.

In Hong Kong, the foundations for a bright future have already been laid and are guaranteed under our constitution, the Basic Law. The rule of law, an independent judiciary, a level playing field for all who do business, low taxes (and I mean low taxes - corporate tax is still only 16% and personal tax a maximum of 15%), and a commitment to free and open markets are all spelt out in the Basic Law. So, too, is the free flow of information, including a free press, and a clean administration. These all form part of our open and pluralistic society which functions exceptionally well under the unique concept of "One Country, Two Systems".

Ladies and gentlemen, I feel I have already taken up too much of your time. It just remains for me to say enjoy the food and the entertainment; and please come and visit us to see for yourselves what Hong Kong has to offer. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you.

End/Monday, November 6, 2000

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