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Hong Kong's long-standing relationship with Canada, particularly with the province of British Columbia, would develop further with the strong foundation built over the last 10 year since the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, according to the Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (HKETO) in Canada, Mr Bassanio So.
Speaking at a reception hosted by the HKETO in Vancouver today (June 26, Vancouver time) to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr So said the burgeoning economy in China and the close relationship between Hong Kong and Canada had created tremendous business opportunities.
While emphasising the successful implementation of the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems' in the last decade, Mr So told the 500 guests at the reception that the strong economic and social ties between Hong Kong and Canada "will be instrumental in supporting Canada's initiative to double the level of its trade and investment relationship with China by 2010 and British Columbia's Pacific Gateway strategy".
The HKETO director cited the facts that:
* More than 500,000 people from Hong Kong live in Canada today, and many of them choose Vancouver, Richmond and other neighboring cities.
* Reciprocally, Hong Kong is also home to the largest Canadian business community in Asia with about 250,000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong.
* There are about 150 Canadian companies maintaining branches or subsidiaries in Hong Kong, and another 450 are represented by distributors, agents or joint venture partners.
"Strong Hong Kong-Canada links have nurtured the ever-growing and vibrant economic partnership between us," he said. "Hong Kong and British Columbia are both gateways – Hong Kong is the gateway to Asia, while Vancouver acts as a gateway for Asian businesses to access the North American market."
Mr So said he strongly believed that British Columbia, Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region could further strengthen the already close relationship to bring a win-win situation to all.
Dignitaries and VIPs attending the event included Chinese Consul General Mr Yang Qiang; Federal Member of Parliament Mr Raymond Chan; Government Caucas Chair and Member of Legislative Assembly in British Columbia, Mr John Yap; Parliamentary Secretary for the Asia-Pacific Initiative, Mr Richard Lee; and city councillors from Burnaby, Richmond and Vancouver.
A photo display on Hong Kong highlighting 'One Country, Two Systems', 'The Hong Kong Spirit', 'Gateway to China', 'Business Hub', 'International City' and 'Hong Kong Attractions' produced by the Information Services Department was also staged at the reception.
Ends/Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:08
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