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At the Chinese New Year reception held in Munich, Germany, yesterday (March 10, Munich time), Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs, Berlin, Mr Stephen Kai Wong, said, "I am particularly honoured to host a Chinese New Year reception in Munich for the first time. Since the commencement of operation of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), Berlin, in March 2009, bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Germany have made good progress." About 120 guests including Consul General of the Peoples' Republic of China, Mr Ma Jinsheng and representatives from the Bavaria state government, business organisations and enterprises, attended the event.
Mr Wong also gave an overview of the work of the HKETO, Berlin. In the past 12 months, it has organised various events and activities to promote Hong Kong's overall image in Germany and seven other central and eastern European countries, namely, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
"Arranging for officials and delegations to visit Hong Kong so that they can see for themselves how the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems' works in Hong Kong is, I always believe, the best way to showcase Hong Kong. In October 2008, the then Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Mr Michael Glos, visited Hong Kong. Since then, the then Federal Minister of Justice and other leading government officials from both federal and state levels, business delegations and representatives of established institutions have followed", Mr Wong said.
He also updated the guests on the latest economic situation in Hong Kong, including the 2010-11 Budget."Being an international financial centre, Hong Kong was not immune from the global financial crisis. Hong Kong has been fortunate enough to tide over well and has not experienced any systemic failures. The US-based Heritage Foundation rated Hong Kong again as the world's freest economy for the 16th year in a row. And in terms of competitiveness, we ranked number two again behind the US in the 2009 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook.
"The financial crisis has also galvanised our thinking on economic development strategies," Mr Wong said.
He then updated the guests on measures to promote the six priority industries where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, i.e. education services, medical services, testing and certification, environmental industries, innovation and technology, and cultural and creative industries. "These industries will complement our four pillar industries of financial services, professional services, trading and logistics, and tourism, which will jointly form a sustainable base for economic growth," Mr Wong said.
The guest of honour at the reception was Chief Executive Officer, Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria, Mr Peter Driessen. Mr Driessen said Hong Kong is the best partner with the Bavaria region because of its many trade facilitating measures such as its stable economic system and simple and low tax system, as well as being the gateway to the market in China. More than 550 German major companies have headquarters in Hong Kong, of which 100 of them are from Bavaria.
Two days ago, HKETO, Berlin, hosted another reception in Bratislava in the Slovak Republic with State Secretary, Slovak Ministry of Construction and Regional Development, Mr Daniel Acs, as the guest of honour. Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Mary Chow and Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Mr Chen Jianfu, were also present.
Mr Acs commended Hong Kong for its efficiency and the vibrancy he experienced when he visited Hong Kong last year. He confirmed the successful implementation of"One Country, Two Systems" in Hong Kong. The reception included a piano recital and soprano performance, and in a special arrangement, a baby tiger was baptised by Mr Wong to mark the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. The final Chinese New Year reception organised by HKETO, Berlin, this year is being held on March 11 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Ends/Thursday, March 11, 2010
Issued at HKT 11:16
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