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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at a lunch hosted in honour of the President of Romania, His Excellency Mr Ion Iliescu, at Government House today (August 25):
Mr President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is our honour and a pleasure to welcome you, Mr President, to Hong Kong as you wrap up your visit to China. I understand it has been a uniquely successful visit and I hope you will find your stay in Hong Kong just as successful as well as enjoyable.
Since Hong Kong was reunited with our motherland six years ago, Hong Kong people have worked hard to make a success of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle that guides our development. This collective effort, in tandem with the unwavering support from our Central Government, has turned the "One Country, Two Systems" as a concept into an everyday reality. The transition from a colony to a Special Administrative Region has indeed gone very well.
Mr President, Hong Kong has taken on enormous challenges of fighting SARS in the last few months. However, with effective measures taken by the Government, and thanks to the concerted efforts of the whole community, we have successfully contained the disease. Our Government has since launched a package of proposals to promote Hong Kong and to revive our economy after the SARS attack. In the past few weeks, there are signs that businesses have rebounded swiftly. With the general improvement of the external environment and the foundation work we have done, I am confident that the SARS impact on our economy, though severe, would only be temporary.
I know Mr President, you have been guiding your country through various reforms. Over the past several years, here in Hong Kong too, because of the Asian financial turmoil, the bursting of the asset bubble in Hong Kong and the very rapid and successful development on the Mainland, our own economy has been going through painful restructuring and adjustments. To promote economic restructuring and revitalise our economy, we have been working hard to forge closer economic cooperation with the Mainland, enhance the quality of our human resources, improve the business environment, and further strengthen the four pillars of our economy, namely, financial services, logistics, tourism, trade and trade-related support services.
One of our biggest advantages is our closeness with our motherland, both geographically, economically and culturally. The recent signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, the first free trade agreement for both the Mainland and Hong Kong, creates immense potential for Hong Kong to become a centre for higher value added manufacturing for a vast domestic market of 1.2 billion people, as well as a base for companies providing high-quality services to expand their businesses into the Mainland. In addition, Hong Kong has many competitive advantages, including our rule of law; free flow of capital, people and information; a level playing field; a cosmopolitan lifestyle; a transparent and efficient government; international standards and practices of doing business; and the list goes on and on. Our position as an international financial centre, a centre for trade and business, a centre for logistics and a premier tourist destination, together with our superb infrastructure and the pool of talents and professionals we possess make us a perfect gateway for multinational companies to enter the huge Mainland market.
Mr President, I hope that as a result of your visit, we can expand the ties between Hong Kong and Romania. There is certainly scope for boosting business links as well as government-to-government links. Please accept my open invitation to come and visit us again and again. Every time you will find you are most welcome.
Mr President, you have undertaken some monumental reforms for your country and many of these efforts are now slowly but surely bearing fruits. You will be a towering figure in the modern history of Romania.
Now, I would like to propose a toast: "To you, Mr President, and to the co-operation and friendship between Romania and the Special Administrative Region."
End/Monday, August 25, 2003
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