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The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Joseph W P Wong, officiated at the opening ceremony of the first cinema on the Mainland that is wholly owned by a Hong Kong company this afternoon (August 6).
Under the second phase of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA II), Hong Kong cinema operators are allowed to fully own, design, manage, and operate cinemas on the Mainland. MCL Cinema City in Shenzhen's Nanshan District is the first cinema on the Mainland that is wholly owned by a Hong Kong company under CEPA II.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Wong said that Guangdong Province and Hong Kong were neighbours sharing similar languages and culture backgrounds. There were ample opportunities to co-operate in film production between the two places.
He encouraged film industries in Guangdong and Hong Kong, within the framework of CEPA, to explore together certain concession policies that are not yet ready for full implementation across the country and make suggestions to the Central Government for trial in the Guangdong Province. "This will facilitate film industries in the two places to make an impressive start and seize the very opportunity to explore further business," Mr Wong said.
"In fact, the development of Mainland and Hong Kong film industries promoted by CEPA is not confined to the business of cinema operations. Under CEPA, motion pictures jointly produced by Hong Kong and the Mainland can be treated as Mainland motion pictures for the purpose of distribution on the Mainland. This will encourage more investment in Hong Kong-Mainland co-produced films.
"Hong Kong companies can provide film distribution services for Mainland motion pictures after obtaining a Hong Kong Service Supplier Certificate under CEPA."
Mr Wong hoped that the Hong Kong entertainment industry would continue to grasp the opportunities brought by CEPA to build and operate more cinemas of high standards on the Mainland, and provide world-class cinema experiences for Mainland audiences.
Ends/Sunday, August 6, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:54
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