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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the reception for the unveiling of the heritage plaque for Hong Kong House in Sydney, Australia, today (June 23):
Your Excellency (the Governor of New South Wales, Professor Marie Bashir), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to be here. I feel a bit lucky to be here with you today, given the recent havoc with flight schedules. My Aussie friends back in Hong Kong tell me that the nation can sometimes come to a standstill when the Ashes are being contested between Australia and England. But I never expected the volcanic ashes from Chile would have the same effect!
Hong Kong House was built in 1891.
For 120 years, this building - with its Victorian facade - has enhanced the appeal of Sydney's central business district.
The importance of the building to Sydney's heritage is demonstrated by its inclusion on the national, state and local heritage listings.
The Hong Kong Government acquired this building in the early 1990s and gave it its current name. Since then, we have carried out numerous conservation-related works to restore the building to its former glory. This symbolises our long-term commitment to promoting friendship and strong links between Hong Kong and Australia.
To celebrate Hong Kong House's 120th anniversary, we shall install this heritage plaque at the building's entrance.
The plaque introduces the history of the building. It also announces to the people of Sydney the presence of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Invest Hong Kong.
Your Excellency, I am delighted you are able to share this meaningful occasion with us.
In addition to our physical presence in the beating heart of Sydney, the importance of bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Australia can be felt in many other ways. The value of our total bilateral trade last year increased by 5 per cent year on year to A$7.6 billion.
There are currently about 7,000 Hong Kong students studying in Australia, around 650,000 Australians visited Hong Kong last year, there are more than 600 Australian companies operating in Hong Kong, and the list goes on.
Our bilateral relationship has continued to grow from strength to strength since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China in 1997. Next week, on July 1, we will celebrate our 14th reunification anniversary.
Under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong continues to enjoy free flows of information, ideas and capital; we have a highly transparent and effective regulatory regime; we continue to follow the common law legal system; our judiciary is highly respected and independent with a number of Australian judges continuing to serve on the Hong Kong bench; English remains one of the official languages and is widely used in our business community; and Hong Kong and Australia share a very similar set of moral values, including our sense of global responsibility. And of course, we have maintained our low and simple tax regime.
All this - together with our city's ability to dovetail its unique China advantages and global advantages - makes Hong Kong particularly attractive to Australian entrepreneurs.
Hong Kong has bounced back strongly from the global financial crisis. Our economy grew by a healthy 7 per cent in 2010. In the first quarter of this year, our GDP expanded 7.2 per cent. This strong recovery also reflects robust economic growth in Mainland China and throughout Asia.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final full day of my trip to Australia. Over the past week, I have had the privilege to see and experience the very best of Australia.
I visited the latest urban revitalisation projects in Melbourne, I have witnessed the huge scale of the booming resources sector in Perth, I have met with federal ministers and state premiers. Perhaps most important, I have experienced the warm Aussie hospitality at every turn.
I can see why Australia is known as "The Lucky Country".
With some good fortune and a little hard work, I am confident that we can look forward to continued strong relations and close friendship between Australia and Hong Kong.
On behalf of my delegation, my colleagues based here in Australia and the Hong Kong SAR Government, I would like to thank Your Excellency and all Australians for being such gracious hosts.
Have a great day. Thank you.
Ends/Thursday, June 23, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:11
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