CE's opening remarks at first meeting of Economic Development Commission (English only) (with photos/video)

CE's opening remarks at first meeting of Economic Development Commission (English only) (with photos/video)
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     Following is the opening remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, at the first meeting of the Economic Development Commission at the Central Government Offices, Tamar, this morning (March 13):

     This Government places as much emphasis on economic development - both the speed and the quality of economic development - as we do on livelihood issues, because we do need economic development to give the Government, employers and everyone else in Hong Kong the necessary resources to address some of the deep-seated livelihood issues in Hong Kong, whether it's housing, poverty, ageing society, whatever. So we place a good deal of emphasis on economic development and that's why we're here, and that's why we invited you to sit on this commission.

     Matters economic in Hong Kong have received a great deal of attention in the past, and we have had enough commentaries and there have been tonnes of articles and reports written about Hong Kong's economy and its future economic development - its challenges and its opportunities and so on, so forth. We have had enough commentaries and critiques and so on. So what I would like this commission to do is to tell Government what the Government should do to help the economy.

     If members on the commission and also members on the working group could tell Government, "If Government could do 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for us, then the following will happen and this would be good for Hong Kong's economy and therefore good for the Hong Kong society", I'll be very grateful. So I would very much like to sort of focus on recommendations.

     Now, for example, very often we are told by the manufacturing industry in Hong Kong that Hong Kong should have a manufacturing industry to broaden Hong Kong's economic base, but we have had enough commentaries in that direction. What I will like to have from people who have a much better understanding of what makes the manufacturing industry in Hong Kong work than I have to tell me and tell Government what you need, because this Government wants to be proactive, "適度有為", to help the development of our manufacturing industry and other sectors of the economy. So that would be the general approach that I would like the commission to take.

Ends/Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:10

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