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The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, arrived in Burgundy on June 5 (France time) for the last leg of his visit to France before flying to Toronto on June 6 to continue promoting Hong Kong's business opportunities.
Speaking at a luncheon attended by members of the local business community and the wine trade, Mr So said, "Hong Kong has always been a good place for doing business. We have been ranked the world's freest economy for 21 consecutive years by the Heritage Foundation. We are also ranked third in ease of doing business by the World Bank."
On trade relations, Mr So noted that Hong Kong and Burgundy have long been close partners in the wine trade. "With a population of just 7 million, by value, Hong Kong ranked eighth worldwide and second in Asia in Burgundy's wine export markets in 2013-14, ahead of Mainland China, which ranked 12th worldwide," he said.
Mr So added that the booming wine business in Hong Kong can also be attributed to the removal of all wine duties in 2008. Since then, Hong Kong's wine imports have thrived with a twofold increase to around 819 million euros in 2014. It has also been the world's number one wine auction centre for the last five years, and the outlook for wine business remains very positive.
He told luncheon participants that Hong Kong is an ideal place for Burgundy-based companies, no matter what their businesses are, for managing their operations and investments. As the "super-connector" connecting Mainland China with the rest of the world, Hong Kong is ready to facilitate ventures and help grow businesses, Mr So said.
In the morning, Mr So visited a vineyard. He will visit a local company specialising in CCTV innovative solutions this afternoon and meet with Burgundy regional government officials later in the day.
Ends/Friday, June 5, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:09
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