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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, delivered at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Hong Kong International Dental Expo and Symposium held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (August 9):
Dr Sigmund Leung, Dr Nelson Wong, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning everyone.
I am delighted to welcome you all to the Hong Kong International Dental Expo and Symposium 2013. Congratulations to the Hong Kong Dental Association on organising this event for the third time.
When I have a one-on-one encounter with my dentist, I can only listen. So it is a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to say a few words to dentists today, upstanding, in the comfort of this magnificent venue and without having to worry about the next instruction.
This event not only brings together dental experts from around the world, it also connects practitioners with manufacturers, suppliers and all stakeholders along the supply chain on whom we depend for good oral hygiene.
This includes the Hong Kong Dental Association which, for more than half a century, has done a great deal in raising the standards of our dental profession and promoting public awareness of oral hygiene. Today, Hong Kong enjoys some of the best dental services and highest levels of oral health in Asia.
We also want to share these achievements with the rest of China and with people around the region. International health care products are popular among our 7 million residents as well as our tens of millions of visitors annually, including almost 35 million visitors from the Mainland of China last year. In other words, Hong Kong is an effective platform for professionals and manufacturers to showcase their services and products to Chinese consumers. It is also the case of what sells well in Hong Kong will sell well in the rest of China.
Health care enterprises can also build their brands in our region by leveraging on Hong Kong's reputation for high standards of testing and certification and commitment to ensuring safe and effective health products and services.
You can develop your career in the Mainland through the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). CEPA allows eligible Hong Kong dentists to sit the Mainland's qualification examination. Specialist dentists can even practise in the Mainland through accreditation. Through CEPA, Hong Kong dentists are able to establish clinics across the boundary, and that is in the Mainland of China.
With further expansion of CEPA, progressive implementation of CEPA provisions, as well as the liberalisation of trade in services between Guangdong and Hong Kong in 2014, Hong Kong people, including professionals like dentists, will be able to enjoy better career opportunities in the Mainland. This will expedite the growth of our external economy and better prepare us for meeting challenges ahead. More importantly, it will sustain Hong Kong's economic growth and create job opportunities for Hong Kong people in the various sectors. In this regard, my government will step up "G2G" (government-to-government) efforts in negotiating and implementing economic and trade agreements with the Mainland.
This Dental Expo and Symposium, together with other similar events held in Hong Kong each year, are very effective in connecting key stakeholders from the Mainland of China and the rest of the world, not just in the field of health care but also in a wide range of other activities.
I was recently told that an international design event in Hong Kong earlier this year was given such high priority by attendees from the Mainland of China that some even brought their own translators so that they could participate fully and get the most out of the event.
Also this year, the art world came here for the launch of the prestigious Art Basel in Hong Kong in May. During the week-long fair, more than 250 events attracted over 60 000 visitors, most of whom came from outside Hong Kong. It was an excellent networking opportunity for renowned collectors and galleries to link up with arts enthusiasts from the Mainland of China.
Similarly, the FDI Annual World Dental Congress in Hong Kong last August brought together leaders in oral health from around the world and attracted some 10 000 visitors.
We are delighted to have so many members of the dental profession back here in Hong Kong today. I have no doubt that this year's International Dental Expo and Symposium will be another memorable event under the theme "Blueprint for Success".
I wish you all a fruitful Dental Expo and Symposium and our visitors a wonderful stay with us here in Asia's world city.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Friday, August 9, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:52
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