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To celebrate the 17th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and promote Swiss-Hong Kong bilateral ties, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) held an annual reception in Bern, Switzerland, yesterday (June 12, Bern time).
In his welcoming remarks, the Director-General of HKETO Berlin, Mr Ivan Lee, who represents Hong Kong in Central and Eastern Europe, underlined the successful implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement in Hong Kong since its reunification with China. "We maintain our position as the world's freest economy as ranked by the Heritage Foundation for the past 20 years, the second easiest place to do business according to the World Bank, and the third most competitive economy according to the International Institute for Management Development. All these highlight the successful implementation of the 'One Country, Two Systems' arrangement," Mr Lee said.
Mr Lee also stressed that thanks to Hong Kong's enviable geopolitical position as the super-connector between the Mainland of China and the rest of the world, the city has benefited from the above-average growth in the region. "Swiss companies using Hong Kong as the gateway to China and the whole of Asia can reap these benefits, as well as those offered by the liberalisation measures under our own free trade pact with Mainland China, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, or CEPA," he added.
Bilateral ties between Switzerland and Hong Kong have remained strong. "Switzerland remains one of our major trading partners in the world and our third largest in Europe, and our total bilateral trade exceeded US$13 billion in 2013," Mr Lee said. "The overall trend has been highly positive, with an impressive average annual growth rate of 16.7 per cent over the past five years. We see great potential for further growth."
Mr Lee also made reference to Art Basel in Hong Kong to demonstrate that closer Swiss-Hong Kong collaboration can go beyond economic and trade matters. "At the inaugural Art Basel in Hong Kong in May 2013, half of the galleries came from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. The second Art Basel in Hong Kong was concluded less than a month ago with similar success, featuring 245 leading galleries from 39 countries and territories around the globe attracting more than 65 000 visitors," he said.
The success of Art Basel in Hong Kong is complemented by the fact that Hong Kong's arts and cultural scene is fast expanding, both in terms of software and hardware. In this connection, Mr Lee encouraged Switzerland's creative talents to explore the many unique opportunities that Hong Kong has to offer.
About 60 guests joined the reception, among them senior officials from the Swiss government including the head of the Special Foreign Economic Service Division of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Mr Christian Etter, and the Charge D'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Switzerland, Mr Wu Jie, as well as senior officials of the federal government, the business community, academia, and the media.
About Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin
HKETO Berlin is the official HKSAR Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Switzerland, as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.
Ends/Friday, June 13, 2014
Issued at HKT 23:11
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