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Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO, Berlin) reached out to the Swiss community with activities in two cities from July 1 to 4. On July 1, HKETO, Berlin organised a reception-cum-exhibition on Hong Kong in Bern to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). From July 2 to 4, HKETO, Berlin, joined the Zurich Festival 2010, a much anticipated festival held every three years, and sponsored the dragon boat race on the River Limmat in the city centre.
Reception-cum-exhibition in Bern
Over 120 guests attended the event, including officials from the Swiss government, such as the Head of Asia and Pacific of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Pierre Combernous, and Head of Bilateral Economic Relations from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Ambassador Monika Rˆ¢hl-Burzi. The Chinese Ambassador in Switzerland, Ambassador Dong Jinyi, and representatives from other embassies as well as Swiss entrepreneurs also graced the event.
Director of HKETO, Berlin, Mr Stephen Kai Wong, welcomed the guests at this first reception in Bern hosted by HKETO, Berlin, and briefed them on Hong Kong since the establishment of the Special Administrative Region in 1997 and its latest developments. In particular, Mr Wong spoke about the bedrock of the HKSAR, the Basic Law and the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, which enable Hong Kong people to continue to enjoy constitutional rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Basic Law. As part of China, Hong Kong is also privileged to be able to benefit from the hinterland's powerful economic engine.
Mr Wong also briefed the guests on the recent passage of the political reform package in Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo). He said under the newly passed package, the Election Committee for the election of the Chief Executive in 2012 would be enlarged from 800 to 1,200 members and five new functional constituency seats for district councillors to be returned through direct election would be created. In addition, five seats would be added to the geographical constituencies. This means means that the total number of seats in LegCo will be increased from 60 to 70. With the reform package, every registered voter (currently stands at 3.43 millions) will have two votes in the 2012 LegCo election, one for the geographical constituency, and the other for functional constituency. Before the passage of the proposal, less than 10% of registered voters in Hong Kong can have two votes in a LegCo election.
The passage of the reform package, which is welcomed by the majority of Hong Kong people, laid a solid groundwork for Hong Kong to pursue detailed arrangements for universal suffrage in a progressive and orderly manner and according to the actual circumstances of Hong Kong as stipulated in the Basic Law, he added. Earlier on, the timetable was established for the election of the Chief Executive in 2017 and the LegCo in 2020 by universal suffrage .
Mr Wong pledged that the Berlin ETO will continue to help strengthen Swiss-Hong Kong bilateral economic and trade ties. Switzerland is the second-largest trading partner among the eight countries in central Europe under the purview of HKETO, Berlin. Guests at the reception were also presented with information on different aspects of Hong Kong. "Hong Kong, as Asia's prime business hub and leading international financial and services centre, is a city of opportunities. We will continue to provide you with an effective link in terms of updated information and practical assistance with a view to ensuring that when you visit Hong Kong for whatever reason, you will wish to stay longer and return sooner", said Mr Wong. The exhibition also featured Hong Kong's participation in the Expo 2010 Shanghai China.
Dragon boat race and Zurich Festival 2010
HKETO, Berlin sponsored a dragon boat race, a popular event in the three-day Zurich Festival 2010, which attracted over two million visitors. The message "our door is open", Hong Kong's dynamic culture, its status as a trading and services hub, gateway to China and a premier tourist destination, were communicated to visitors at the festival. The dragon boat race was held over two days from July 3 to 4, with 34 teams participating. The team "Haeger und die Schrecklichen" won in the elite category, finishing the race at 44.49 seconds. At the award ceremony following a dragon dance performance, Mr Wong presented the trophies to the winning teams.
About Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin
HKETO, Berlin, was the HKSAR Government's first overseas representative office established since Hong Kong's reunification with the Mainland in 1997. It is the official HKSAR Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Switzerland, as well as in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia. HKETO, Berlin, can be contacted at cee@hketoberlin.gov.hk and by telephone at +49 30 22 66 77 228. More information can be found at www.hketoberlin.gov.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:53
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