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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO, Berlin) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) strongly supported the Berlin State Government at this year's Asia Pacific Weeks Berlin 2011 (APW), which provides a platform for exchange between partners in Europe and the Asia Pacific regions.
Following the staging of a highly acclaimed dance performance by Hong Kong's City Contemporary Dance Company at the Admiralspalast on September 8 (Berlin time), the Director of the HKETO, Berlin, Mr Stephen Kai Wong, joined the "Green Cities - Green Industries" conference, one of the key programmes at APW. Mr Wong gave opening remarks at the conference's opening ceremony on September 12, during which he highlighted the importance of the co-operation of metropolitan areas in the green sector. "Hong Kong has in place a well thought out plan to be one of the greenest cities in China, having identified environmental industries as one of six priority industries. Hong Kong is also fully committed to working with the international community to combat climate change." Mr Wong said.
At another programme titled "Urban Developments, New Energy and Green Tech" on the same day, Mr Wong spoke about strategic planning with regard to the future challenges facing modern cities. "It is crucial for Hong Kong and the rest of the global community to sustain future urban development by pursuing a low-carbon pathway. To achieve this goal, the Government of the HKSAR will introduce a range of measures under the Climate Change Action Agenda that cover energy efficiency, building design, materials and energy management systems.
"We will focus on city greening and cleaner transport to accelerate our transition to a low-carbon economy. Regarding energy efficiency, the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance, enacted in November 2010, specifies the energy efficiency design standards of four key types of building service installations in specified buildings in Hong Kong. The legislation, coming into full operation in 2012, aims to improve the energy efficiency of new buildings, as well as existing buildings when they undergo major retrofitting works," Mr Wong explained.
In his presentation on China Business Day on September 13, Mr Wong introduced investment opportunities in Hong Kong for future co-operation in the green industry sector, after outlining Hong Kong's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality and introducing sustainable waste management.
"The National 12th Five-Year Plan has set out the future strategies in promoting green development and also building a resource-efficient and environment-friendly society. Hong Kong and foreign environmental service providers can capitalise on their experience to introduce advanced environmental technologies, as well as management expertise and systems, through facilitating scientific research and leveraging on the production base in the Greater Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region. These service providers can play a constructive role in supporting industries and factories in the PRD Region to adopt cleaner production, and assist enterprises in their upgrading and restructuring processes," he added.
The APW is a biennial event organised by the Berlin State Government. This year it aims to raise public awareness of the importance of clean water and an adequate diet to address the issues of undersupply and overproduction, as well as harmony between traditional and modern technology.
Ends/Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:56
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