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The following is issued on behalf of the Secretariat to the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Co-operation and Promotion Council:
The Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Cooperation and Promotion Council (ECCPC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council (THEC) convened their fifth joint meeting in Taipei on December 16. The meeting was co-chaired by the ECCPC Chairperson, Mr Charles Lee, and the THEC Acting Chairman, Mr Lin Chu-chia.
Mr Lee said, "Since its establishment in 2010, the ECCPC-THEC has been promoting, in the spirit of pragmatism and mutual benefit, co-operation and exchanges on various fronts. We hope that both sides can continue their efforts and proactively utilise the platform to enhance Hong Kong-Taiwan relations, benefitting people in the two places."
At the joint meeting today, both sides reviewed the Councils' achievements in the past year in various co-operation areas, which included:
(a) On tourism co-operation, the tourism promotion organisations on both sides signed an agreement to launch the Asia Cruise Fund, encouraging cruise lines to include Hong Kong and Taiwan in more cruise itineraries;
(b) On the economic, trade and investment fronts, deposit protection agencies on both sides signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance information sharing and co-operation in dealing with cross-region deposit matters. In addition, the Hong Kong Business Association in Taiwan was formally established this year, which promotes commercial co-operation in both places with a view to exploring Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas markets in a concerted manner;
(c) On technological exchanges, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan signed a co-operation agreement to create a platform for matching investors and business partners for high-tech enterprises in the two places, thus encouraging start-ups;
(d) On cultural exchanges, the leading Chinese orchestras of the two places signed a co-operation agreement to enhance artistic exchange and resource sharing;
(e) On health co-operation, both sides have agreed to establish a point-to-point communication mechanism on four fronts including communicable diseases, food safety, Chinese medicine and Western drugs, facilitating information exchange and responsive communication between relevant bodies on related matters; and
(f) On legal co-operation, the arbitration association in Taiwan will set up an office in Hong Kong, offering commercial and investment dispute resolution services.
In addition, both sides agreed to explore three new co-operation areas through the ECCPC-THEC discussion platform, namely co-operation and exchanges in meteorological services, combating landslides and combating floods.
The ECCPC and the THEC will continue to take forward multi-faceted co-operation between Hong Kong and Taiwan, further cementing the Councils as a discussion platform between the two places and making strides in Hong Kong-Taiwan relations.
Ends/Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:10
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