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The following is issued on behalf of the Secretariat to the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Cooperation 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 sixth joint meeting in Hong Kong today (September 17). The meeting was co-chaired by the ECCPC Chairperson, Mr Charles Lee, and the THEC Chairman, Dr Lin Chu-chia.
Mr Lee said, "After more than five years since their inauguration, the ECCPC and the THEC have set up liaison channels for various co-operation areas and witnessed the mutual establishment of offices in both places, thereby achieving new breakthroughs in Hong Kong-Taiwan co-operation. We hope to continue leveraging the ECCPC-THEC platform in promoting multi-faceted, multi-level exchanges between Hong Kong and Taiwan."
Both sides reviewed the Councils' achievements in co-operation in the past year. Highlights are as follows:
(a) Accreditation bodies in the two places signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Accreditation Technologies, thereby launching co-operation related to areas including information sharing, research in new areas, technical support and personnel training;
(b) The Hong Kong Airport Authority and the Taoyuan Airport Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance exchanges between the two airports;
(c) Both sides have basically concluded the technical discussion on the arrangement for the avoidance of double taxation in shipping income;
(d) Tourism promotion organisations in the two places have convened the working group meeting of the Asia Cruise Fund, and promoted the initiative to industry players at international cruise fora with a view to launching more cruise lines to include the ports in the cruise itineraries;
(e) Staff from the meteorological organisations in the two places met in the year, and agreed to launch collaboration in various areas including meteorological data exchange, operational meteorological technologies, earthquake monitoring, training and weather services;
(f) Staff from drainage services on both sides had a meeting this year, during which they shared views on the planning and management system in combating floods in the two places, and explored the way forward and issues for future exchanges and co-operation;
(g) Staff from the geotechnical departments in both places met this year to prepare for participation in a technical seminar in Taiwan, during which they exchanged experiences in combating landslides and discussed substantive issues to pave the way for future collaboration; and
(h) The Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office and the Taoyuan City Government jointly organised an Inter-city Forum, which discussed the latest developments of the airport, exhibition and logistics industries in the two cities.
In addition, both sides agreed to further make use of the ECCPC-THEC platform to start exchanges and co-operation in five new co-operation areas, namely:
(a) Co-operation in trade control measures on species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
(b) Exchanges and co-operation in wetland matters;
(c) Exchanges and co-operation in urban renewal;
(d) Exchanges and co-operation in intellectual property rights; and
(e) Exchanges and co-operation in promotion of water conservation.
The ECCPC and the THEC will go from strength to strength by continuously promoting Hong Kong-Taiwan exchanges and enhancing co-operation in different areas between the two places in the spirit of pragmatism and mutual benefit.
Ends/Thursday, September 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:25
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