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Hong Kong and the United Kingdom today (December 10) signed the second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on co-operation in information and communications technology (ICT).
The MOU was signed by the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (Communications and Technology), Mr Francis Ho, representing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Permanent Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Sir Robin Young, representing the United Kingdom.
The MOU includes co-operation in the following areas:
- Electronic government;
- Electronic commerce;
- Multimedia content creation and digital entertainment;
- Software applications and products;
- Internet and broadband networks and applications;
- Wireless and mobile applications;
- Digital broadcasting; and
- IT manpower development.
A wide range of collaboration activities between the two places is envisaged, ranging from commercial and industrial exchanges to investment and technology partnerships, and from exchange of policy and regulatory information to promoting joint research programmes and educational exchanges.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Ho said the bonds between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom had been strengthened with the signing of the first ICT MOU between the two governments in 1999.
"The signing ceremony today serves not only to commemorate the fruitful exchanges conducted in the first five years, but it also marks the beginning of a new phase of closer and deeper collaboration between the two governments, particularly in such areas as e-government, wireless technologies and the creative industries," Mr Ho said.
He said he looked forward to another fruitful period of co-operation between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom that would create value to the industries and communities in both places. Mr Ho encouraged the ICT industry in the two places to take advantage of the MOU to further their business and technology collaboration.
Sir Robin was delighted that the agreement provided a valuable framework for discussion and co-operation as both administrations pursued a common aim of establishing a highly competitive, dynamic and knowledge-based economy.
"In the five years since the first MOU was signed between the two administrations, we have seen the ICT sector continue to develop and converge as the telecommunications, broadcasting and internet industries have expanded and new technologies have brought further innovation in services," he said.
"Hong Kong has long been, and will continue to be, an extremely important trading partner for the United Kingdom." Sir Robin believed that the new MOU would provide for co-operation both on public policy issues and at the industry level. He said that the two governments also needed to encourage greater collaboration between UK and Hong Kong companies in the fields of digital entertainment and wireless applications and technology.
Apart from the MOU signed with United Kingdom, Hong Kong has, since May 1998, entered into similar co-operative arrangements with a number of countries advanced in the use of ICT. The MOUs that are in force are with: Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea.
Ends/Friday, December 10, 2004
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