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Following is the full text of the opening speech delivered by the Director of Information Technology Services, Mr Lau Kam-hung, in a conference on application service provider today (January 9):

Mr Fung, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning! It is my pleasure to officiate at the opening of the ASPWorld Conference & Expo - Hong Kong 2001.

In the past few years, we have witnessed the huge changes brought about by the adoption of information technology (IT). By leveraging on IT, e-commerce has revolutionised the way we do business and is considered an important tool for enhancing the competitiveness of the enterprises and the economy. The challenge we are now facing is how to grasp the opportunities offered by e-commerce.

The Application Service Provider (ASP), the theme of today's Conference & Expo, has emerged as one of the most favoured choices for implementing e-commerce. By adopting the ASP model, enterprises will be relieved from dealing with the advanced technologies, especially when such technologies are developing at a fast pace. Moreover, enterprises will then be able to focus their attention on their core businesses.

The Government fully recognises the importance of e-commerce and is committed to providing an environment conducive to e-commerce development in Hong Kong. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you what the Government has done to foster such development.

A quality and high capacity telecommunications infrastructure is a pre-requisite for e-commerce. We are proud to say that our telecommunications infrastructure is amongst the best in the world. To maintain our pre-eminent position, we encourage competition and innovation under an open, fair and predictable regulatory framework. And our telecommunications market is now characterised by easily accessible, efficient and innovative services at affordable prices.

Legality and security are concerns for those who wish to adopt e-commerce. To provide legal backing to electronic transactions and to protect the interests of individuals and enterprises, we have enacted the Electronic Transactions Ordinance to provide the necessary legal framework. The Ordinance gives electronic records and digital signatures the same legal status as that of their paper-based counterparts, and provides a framework for the operation of certification authorities (CAs). To provide secure electronic authentication services, we have established a public certification authority through the Hongkong Post. With the use of digital certificates and public key infrastructure, we are able to address the issues of authentication, integrity, confidentiality and non-repudiation in electronic transactions.

To lead by example, we have put our government services on-line through the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme. ESD not only improves the public services but also helps to familiarise our citizens with and give them confidence in e-commerce. Moreover, the open and common information infrastructure of ESD also serves as an open platform for the private sector to conduct e-commerce at a later stage.

However, Government's efforts alone is not enough for e-commerce to flourish in Hong Kong. Support and participation of the private sector are more important. It is encouraging to see that our enterprises have taken initiatives to actively exploit new opportunities in e-commerce. And I am pleased to see that the ASP model has assisted the enterprises in exploiting these opportunities.

Today's Conference & Expo provides a valuable opportunity for our entrepreneurs, business users and IT professionals to exchange ideas and to keep abreast of the latest advances in the ASP market. I believe you will find the Conference & Expo informative and enlightening.

Thank you.

End/Tuesday, January 9, 2001

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