********************************************************
Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, officiated at the 2009 Hong Kong Awards for Industries Presentation Ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this evening (January 18):
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening to you all. It is my great pleasure to be here with you tonight.
First and foremost, congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Hong Kong Awards for Industries. Competition breeds excellence. The winners tonight set trends and are role models for others to follow.
I also wish to thank all of you who have helped to organise and stage this year's Awards.
Around this time last year, the global financial crisis was upon us. I recall that at the time, I expressed confidence in a strong recovery from the economic downturn. And indeed, Hong Kong has proven to be resilient in the face of adversity.
In recent years, despite the several regional or global downturns that we have been through, Hong Kong has been rated highly on many fronts. For 15 years in a row, Hong Kong has been named the freest economy in the world by the US-based Heritage Foundation and the Fraser Institute in Canada. In terms of competitiveness, we have ranked first, for four years consecutively, in the "Potential Competitiveness Ranking" conducted by the Japan Centre for Economic Research. And we were number two in this year's World Competitiveness Yearbook of the International Institute for Management Development. In an Online Consumer Survey by CNN International published last May, Hong Kong was rated as having the "most vibrant city life", "best nightlife" and "best shopping" in the Asia Pacific region.
We must be doing something right to deserve these top ratings. Here I must thank our business community for their ideas and strong support, not least through the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee and its working groups.
Another important area where you can help is through your responses to the surveys conducted by the various institutions for these international ranking studies. These questionnaires are not always user-friendly, and have been known to produce some unusual results. Let me cite you some examples. Some responses suggest that Hong Kong only has a mediocre ranking in terms of "business costs of terrorism and organised crime", and "quality of air transportation", and our business costs of malaria puts us in the bottom half of world performance. This is totally unthinkable, particularly in terms of fighting terrorism, in terms of organised crime and also malaria spreading in Hong Kong. This is unheard of.
The fact is that Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. There were no crimes involving the use of firearms in Hong Kong in the past year. Our airport is among the world's busiest and best. On the topic of malaria, you may be interested to know that we have only had a handful of cases since 1998 and none of them have been of local origin.
We are working with some of the key institutions to try to improve the forms and to make sure that up-to-date information is easily available. These questionnaires are important and I encourage you to take a little time to participate and complete the surveys personally. Not only do they let investors know what a great place Hong Kong is, they also alert us to areas where we generally need to improve to maintain our international competitiveness. Most of all, they will help convey the right message to your own business partners overseas and inspire them to cultivate their business relations with you. In other words, they may help you grow your own business.
I was particularly pleased to note the World Bank's remark in their last 'Doing Business' report, that Hong Kong is one of the "most consistent reformers". I can assure you that my Government will continue to innovate to improve the quality of public service and regulation, just as you continually strive for innovation in your businesses.
Looking ahead, our relationship and close proximity with the Mainland will continue to provide ample opportunities for Hong Kong.
A year ago the Central People's Government unveiled its plan to establish the Pearl River Delta as one of the most competitive regions in the world by 2020. This framework supports greater co-operation between Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong to maximise our combined strengths and complement each other in developing a premier business hub. I believe that Hong Kong's skills and strength are crucial to the realisation of this vision, and that our economy will be enhanced through stronger ties with the vast markets in the north.
Ladies and gentlemen, it only remains for us to once again congratulate this year's Award winners and to wish you all a very successful year ahead.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Monday, January 18, 2010
Issued at HKT 20:52
NNNN
Windows Media format
Real Media format