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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the opening of the Asian Cultural Ministers' Meeting of the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel this (November 10) morning (English only):
Honourable Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Apologies for a rather short salutation ¡V there are simply too many important people to mention all in one go. So now, I would like to extend the warmest of Hong Kong welcomes to our visiting Ministers, their distinguished colleagues, and cultural sector leaders from across the region. I would also like to welcome the large contingent of cultural sector leaders from within our country, representing our provinces and municipalities. It is a great pleasure to see all of you here in Hong Kong. Thank you for coming to this important forum, and thank you in advance for your input and discourse over the next couple of days. The Forum is all the richer for your presence.
This year's theme, 'Brand Asia', certainly strikes a familiar chord here in Hong Kong. Four and a half years ago we launched our own 'Brand Hong Kong' programme and since then we have been promoting Hong Kong on the global stage as 'Asia¡¦s world city'. To get the ball rolling today, I would like to offer a few insights into why we launched the programme, and what we have learnt since then. I hope that our experience in Hong Kong can provide some insights into the benefits of branding, and also the responsibility that goes with it. I believe the process we went through and the lessons learnt can be applied on a broader canvas for Asia generally.
First, some background. In the run-up to the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997 we began to ponder how best to keep Hong Kong on the international radar screen in our new role as a Special Administrative Region of China. To do that, we looked at how we might be able to brand Hong Kong to give it a distinct identity within Asia. Unfortunately, the Asian financial crisis put that process on the backburner for a few years but it was still an idea we kept simmering away. In the year 2000, our Commission on Strategic Development published a report that looked at Hong Kong's long-term development. It concluded, among other things, that we needed to do more to promote our unique advantages on the global stage. So we engaged international consultants to help us with that process. This included international research, local research and a team of branding specialists and designers, who devised the 'flying dragon' emblem that we now use on all our promotional materials. They also tested a number of brandlines, the result being 'Asia's world city' was the best fit for how we were viewed by others overseas, and how we ourselves wanted to be viewed by the world.
The research also helped us focus on the core values that underpinned our positioning. These are: progressive, free, stable, opportunity and high quality. Like the brandline, the core values are both our key strengths in the eyes of the overseas markets, as well as the guiding principles of our development that are held dear by the local community.
Taken together, the brandline and the core values also serve another, very valuable purpose ¡V they have become benchmarks of conduct and performance. When we launched Brand Hong Kong in May 2001, our brandline 'Asia's world city' was not very widely used within the community, if at all. Since then, however, it has become a part of the local lexicon, and is now often referred to in the media. More often than not, the media references are critical, highlighting areas where some in the community feel we may have not lived up to the high standards we have set for ourselves. I see this as a positive development. That's because we now have a constant source of public feedback on a wide range of issues that Hong Kong people link to our Branding position. These cover myriad topics, including the arts and culture, environmental protection, urban renewal, political reform, through to financial services, tourism and business environment. So ours is an umbrella brand that covers every aspect of our socio-economic development that makes Hong Kong tick.
The feedback also relates to the point I made earlier about the responsibility of branding. There has to be a constant assessment and reassessment of performance, and adjustment where necessary, for the branding to work in the long run. All good brands take time to develop. Of course, it helps if you have a good product to start with, and we do believe that Hong Kong is a great product. But, we also understand that you can never rest on your laurels, and that you must constantly reinforce and even enhance if possible, your key brand strengths to preserve brand integrity, maintain brand loyalty and to generate new business for, and recognition of, your brand.
Today's meeting, and the forum itself, is an integral part of reinforcing our brand within Asia, the heart and soul of our existence. Your presence here is part of our collective efforts to develop stronger government-to-government links across the region, and throughout our country, in the areas of the arts, culture and creative industries. There is an enormous depth of creative talent in our respective economies, which means there is tremendous potential to showcase these talents within Asia, and on the wider global stage. We in Hong Kong are most eager to explore such opportunities and we welcome your thoughts on how to do this.
Asia is an incredibly diverse place, home to dozens of different ethnic groups and a multitude of languages and dialects. And yet that diversity can also be an enormous asset, and a unifying factor. Certainly, that is our experience in Hong Kong, where more than 500,000 expatriates from all around the world live and work. Even though we are an overwhelmingly Chinese society, the large international presence here has enriched our culture and become an integral part of it. One thing we have learnt is that despite our often vastly different backgrounds and upbringing, there are some fundamental values that we all hold dear and which bring us together. Respect for the individual. Tolerance of people of a different race, and with different beliefs. Equality, and inclusion in society. If we can embrace our many different cultures with an open heart and open mind, we stand to benefit greatly from that experience. Not only that, the creative forces that this could unleash might well spell the beginning of our very own 'Brand Asia'.
Distinguished guests, I would like to once again thank you all for coming to Hong Kong and sharing your experience and views with us. I hope you have a most enjoyable stay and I look forward to welcoming you back again before too long.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Thursday, November 10, 2005
Issued at HKT 10:52
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