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Following is the translation of the opening remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the plenary session of the Economic Summit at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (September 11):
Mr Xu, Mr Chen and members of the expert focus groups:
Let me give you a warm welcome to our Economic Summit on China's 11th Five-Year Plan and Development of Hong Kong. I would like to welcome in particular our two guests of honour. First of all, Mr Xu Lin, the Director General of the Department of Fiscal and Financial Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, and also Mr Chen Shanru, Director of the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission. These two guests will explain to us the contents of the National 11th Five-Year Plan and also the Guangdong Province 11th Five-Year Plan respectively. I also would like to thank our 33 expert focus group members for working hard for the economic future of Hong Kong.
The 11th Five-Year Plan was endorsed on March 14 at the fourth session of the 10th National People's Congress this year. It is binding on the entire nation and has a very high status. As stated in the national plan, this is the time for the building of a moderately well-off society. It is a time of both valuable opportunities and severe challenges, and has historical implication. Under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, the motherland has included Hong Kong in the Five-Year Plan and it says clearly that it will support Hong Kong's financial, logistics, tourism and IT industries. It will preserve Hong Kong's status as an international financial, trade and shipping centre. It will also increase the co-operation and exchange between Hong Kong and the Mainland. This is support from the mainland. It confirms Hong Kong's status. It is also the expectation of our country on us. Therefore the SAR Government and all sectors of the SAR must study the contents of the National 11th Five-Year Plan in detail and also respond actively and positively to the plan.
In May, I announced that there would be this economic summit in September so that we can explore the opportunities and challenges imposed on us by the Five-Year Plan together with all sectors of the community. We will also analyse what role Hong Kong can play in the national economy and how Hong Kong can respond positively to the plan. Today's economic summit is a great start. I must emphasise that it is only a start. I expect to work closely with all expert members of the focus groups to bring Hong Kong's economy forward.
I would like to suggest that in this morning's plenary session, we will first focus on the 11th Five-Year Plan and in that context how we can maintain Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre, trade centre and shipping centre. We must first examine the niche Hong Kong has in the world in terms of these three areas and we could also see whether we are already among the top ranks in the world in these areas. If not, what are the difficulties we face, how can we overcome them and what strategies do we have to face up to these challenges? If we want to overcome these challenges then what advantages and opportunities would we have? Then, on the national level, what opportunities and challenges that the expected development on the Mainland under the 11th Five-Year Plan will bring to Hong Kong in maintaining its status in these three areas? In other words, we will examine Hong Kong's strengths on the international level. Then on the national level, we will see the opportunities and challenges brought to us by the 11th Five-Year Plan. Finally we would also discuss our neighbour, the Guangdong province and its response to the 11th Five-Year Plan and the strategies they have mapped out and we will see what these strategies will bring to Hong Kong in terms of opportunities and challenges in these three areas. So our status in these three areas are our objectives and we will discuss them at three levels - the international level, the national level and the Pearl River Delta region level.
When the morning session concludes, this afternoon we will have four focus group discussions. The first focus group is trade and business, the second is financial services, the third is maritime, logistics and infrastructure and the fourth focus group is on professional services, innovation and technology and tourism. The first three focus groups will discuss respectively how we can maintain Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre, trade centre and shipping centre. The fourth focus group will discuss the areas of the 11th Five-Year Plan where there is mention of supporting Hong Kong's development in tourism, IT and other services industries, professional services as well as innovation and technology.
I hope the four focus groups will be able to come up with strategic recommendations this afternoon after discussion, including the required areas of study and the follow up work. After the economic summit today, the focus groups will continue to work in the next few months to further develop, study and discuss the various strategic recommendations. The aim is that by the end of the year, they will compile a practicable and workable action agenda. The action agenda will say clearly that the various policy bureaux and departments will give their full support and respond actively to the various recommendations. I hope members of various sectors of the community and relevant industries, experts and academia will put forward more innovative ideas in today's summit. I hope that after studying the views of people in the trade and the community, the action agenda will not only include government measures, but also the work of the industries, academia, the professionals and the relevant public corporations. This will give full play to the meaning of today's economic summit.
I must stress again that we adopt a pragmatic attitude in approaching the economic summit and conducting it. I am sure, with our collected effort, we will be able to achieve results. I now declare the summit open.
Ends/Monday, September 11, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:54
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