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Following is the translation of the full text of the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr TUNG Chee Hwa, at the opening ceremony of the First Putonghua Day of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region today (September 13):
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am glad to attend the opening ceremony of the First Putonghua Day of Hong Kong. It is a meaningful event organised by the Putonghua League of Hong Kong in response to the State Council's "National Putonghua Week" campaign.
As Chinese citizens, it is incumbent upon us to learn Putonghua. It is also a useful tool for us to maintain effective connection and communication with our fellow countrymen in the Mainland. Thanks to the support of various bodies and individuals, the promotion of Putonghua in Hong Kong has seen remarkable progress in recent years.
Since our return to the motherland, our partnership and links with the Mainland in areas such as trade, tourism, education and cultural exchanges have become increasingly closer. To acquire proficiency in Putonghua will help us better understand our nation's culture and strengthen our sense of identity. It is also of great importance to Hong Kong's economic development. China's imminent accession to the WTO will bring us tremendous opportunities. All of us should equip ourselves by acquiring proficiency in Putonghua in order to capitalise on these opportunities, upgrade our competitiveness, develop Hong Kong into Asia's world city and fully perform our role as a bridge between the Mainland and the rest of the world.
That is why the HKSAR Government attaches great importance to language teaching in school. We have strengthened our efforts in helping our students to develop their language abilities and become biliterate and trilingual. With Putonghua becoming an integral subject in the primary and secondary school core curricula since 1998, a systematic Putonghua learning programme is now available in school for all students. We will continue to explore different means to create an environment conducive to language learning in school and enhance the training of our Putonghua teachers. But school education alone is not enough for the successful promotion of Putonghua in Hong Kong. A wider use of Putonghua in our daily life should also be encouraged.
Today, I am most pleased to see that the meaning and significance of being able to speak Putonghua are widely recognised in our community. The Putonghua League of Hong Kong consists of more than 100 bodies representing various sectors of the community. It is probably the largest and the best organised of its kind in the history of Hong Kong's Putonghua campaign. I wish the First Putonghua Day every success. Let's continue to give our full support to the campaign by grasping every opportunity to listen to and speak Putonghua.
Thank you very much.
End/Thursday, September 13, 2001
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