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Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at the Third Biennial of the China-Europa Forum at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University this afternoon (July 12):
Professor Tong (Timothy Tong, President of the HK Polytechnic University), Mr Calame (Mr Pierre Calame, President of the China-Europa Forum Foundation), Professor Ji (Ji Baocheng, President of Renmin University of China), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon to you all.
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to this year's China-Europa Forum.
And an especially warm welcome to all our visitors from Europe and the Mainland of China.
I should start by congratulating our good friends in Spain on winning the football World Cup just a few hours ago. That was indeed a fabulous performance.
In fact, football, as I understand it, originated in China, and not Europe, as some of you may believe.
The earliest form of the game was played in Shandong Province during the Han Dynasty some 2,300 years ago. This was actually confirmed by FIFA. So, regardless of the world rankings, we do know a thing or two about football in this part of the world as well.
In the early days, football took different forms in different corners of the globe - different versions of the same game. Today, teams from around the globe are able to compete against each other on a "level playing field" with a uniform set of rules.
But what has this got to do with the China-Europa Forum?
Well, Spain's World Cup victory proves that it takes teamwork, it takes unity and mutual understanding to achieve great things on the world stage.
This forum is all about strengthening teamwork, co-operation, and understanding between Europe and China so that we can achieve great things together. Our goal is more balanced and sustainable growth that will be beneficial to each of our economies and societies.
In recent years, bilateral links between China and the EU have gone from strength to strength. These two economies are among the largest in the world, our financial centres are linked up for round-the-clock trading, and our people are connected via satellite, advanced telecommunications and the Internet.
Rapid economic growth in the past couple of decades has underscored the advantages of globalisation. But, more recently, the financial tsunami was an "own goal" that has also highlighted some of the lessons that we still need to understand about the way our world is developing.
To learn from our experiences, we need to open up channels of communication, we need to share our expertise and work doubly hard to understand our commercial, cultural and social diversity.
In addition to this forum, we have the EU-China Summit, which has been held annually since 1998. This summit addresses topics ranging from trade and economic co-operation to climate change and regional security. And in 2004, the EU and China broadened their relationship into a strategic partnership, signalling a new era of co-operation.
We also welcome the Lisbon Treaty that came into force last December to promote the integration of the European Union. The treaty will help streamline co-operation within the EU and between the EU and other economies, including Hong Kong, through the European Commission.
Hong Kong has an important role to play in promoting ties between Europe and the Mainland of China.
For one thing, both English and Chinese are official languages here in Hong Kong, making for straightforward communication.
Hong Kong is a global business and financial centre, as well as the premier gateway to Mainland markets. Last year, over US$45 billion worth of goods, or 11% of the total trade between the EU and China, was routed through Hong Kong.
Over 600 companies from the EU have regional offices here, and more than 400 of them are regional headquarters. Many of these firms are attracted by our world-class services, business-friendly environment and close connections with the Mainland.
These enterprises also bring fresh ideas and high quality international talent to Hong Kong, enhancing along the way our cultural diversity.
Ladies and gentlemen, although we share common goals and aspirations for our economies and our people, there is no single set of rules for balanced, fair and sustainable development.
That is why co-operation, understanding and open dialogue are so important in our rapidly changing world.
With stronger mutual understanding, we will be able to deepen bilateral ties in business, finance, arts, culture and environmental protection to achieve our goal of sustainable growth and development.
I wish you all an enjoyable forum and a memorable stay here in Hong Kong, and I look forward to even stronger relations between the EU and China.
Thank you very much and have a great day.
Ends/Monday, July 12, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:04
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