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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) held a reception in Berlin to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Horse on February 11 (Berlin time). Close to 250 guests joined the Director of HKETO Berlin, Mr Ivan Lee, and enjoyed the performance of one of Hong Kong's leading fusion music groups, SIU2, as well as delicious foods and inspiring speeches and discussions.
Among the guests were the Senator for Economics, Technology and Research of the Berlin Government, Ms Cornelia Yzer; the Chinese Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Shi Mingde; and the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Linda Lai, as well as Members of the German Bundestag (parliament), other senior government officials, diplomats and members of the business community and academia.
In his speech, Mr Lee quoted predictions that the Year of the Horse would be a year of high energy with excellent opportunities and encouraged the audience to use Hong Kong as the gateway to the Asia Pacific region. "The Horse gives you a ride to your destination, so it is also a symbol of speedy success. If you have not already done so, this year offers good opportunities to think of using Hong Kong as the gateway to expand into the fast growing Asian markets," he said.
Mr Lee took the opportunity to highlight some of Hong Kong's unique advantages. "On economic development, Hong Kong continues to benefit from our role as the 'super-connector' between the Mainland of China and the rest of the world. The rapid growth of Mainland China and its reforms and opening up will continue to bring new opportunities to Hong Kong. Under the 'One Country, Two Systems' arrangement, we have consolidated our fundamental strengths, like the rule of law underpinned by an independent judiciary, a business-friendly environment, a stable and freely convertible currency, free flow of information and capital, and a low and simple tax system. Being the world's freest economy, as ranked by the Heritage Foundation for 20 years in a row, we remain committed to trade liberalisation and maintaining a level playing field for all companies," Mr Lee said. With a business-friendly environment, Hong Kong has attracted a whole host of companies to set up in Hong Kong. "Last year, our investment promotion agency, Invest Hong Kong, assisted a record high of 337 companies to set up or expand in Hong Kong," he said.
Subsequently he referred to recent initiatives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG). "As a city that never stops, Hong Kong is also investing in several major infrastructure projects, such as the Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which will provide a solid platform to propel our future development," Mr Lee said. He also mentioned several Government initiatives on the environment front that will help to improve the quality of life in Hong Kong on the one hand, and also present business opportunities for the environmental technology and services sector, including companies from Germany, on the other.
Mr Lee concluded by emphasising the long-standing close Hong Kong-German ties. "Last year, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the German Consulate General in Hong Kong. We have all along treasured our strong ties with Germany. Indeed, Germany has been our biggest trading partner in the European Union. But the close ties between Germany and Hong Kong reach beyond economics and trade," he said. The Working Holiday Scheme between Germany and Hong Kong allows youths from both places to experience the cultures and ways of life of their counterparts. There are also frequent exchanges on the cultural front.
SIU2 then presented four crossover compositions featuring a mixture of traditional Chinese and Western instruments, a unique blend of East and West that epitomises Hong Kong so well. Apart from listening to well-known musical instruments like piano, bass guitar and drums, the enthusiastic audience enjoyed the tones of instruments with roots in ancient China such as the stringed sanxian and zheng as well as the sheng, a wind instrument.
About HKETO Berlin
HKETO Berlin is the official HKSARG representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany, as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Ends/Thursday, February 13, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:12
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