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Jointly organised by the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau and the Economic and Trade Commission of Guangdong Province; and supported by the Trade and Industry Department and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, the ˇ§2006 CEPA Seminar on Servicesˇ¨ was held today (October 9) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. It attracted the participation of more than 200 Hong Kong businessmen.
Targeting Hong Kong companies and service suppliers interested in starting businesses in Guangdong Province under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), the seminar aimed to enhance their understanding of the procedures and requirements for setting up business enterprises in Guangdong Province by leveraging on the advantages provided by CEPA.
Addressing the seminar, the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (Commerce and Industry), Miss Yvonne Choi, pointed out that there has been very close economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. Guangdong Province has been a popular investment location for service enterprises in Hong Kong. Among the enterprises set up by Hong Kong Service Suppliers under CEPA, more than 40% were located in Guangdong. She hoped that the two sides would continue to intensify co-operation on all fronts for a full implementation of CEPA.
The Vice-Director of the Economic and Trade Commission of Guangdong Province, Ms Bi Zhi-jian, also spoke at the seminar.
At the plenary session, officials from Guangdong Province explained general application procedures and requirements for setting up service enterprises in Guangdong Province, including company registration procedures, customs regulations and tax arrangements.
Breakout sessions were held after the plenary session in respect of several popular service sectors under CEPA, in which Guangdong officials provided in-depth explanation on the specific policies and regulations and addressed questions from the participants. Pamphlets containing information on CEPA and information on operating business enterprises in Guangdong Province were distributed at the seminar.
The Trade and Industry Department recently set up a database of reference materials on the Mainlandˇ¦s rules and regulations relating to CEPA and produced fact sheets in 14 service sectors. Interested parties may access these fact sheets at http://www.tid.gov.hk/english/cepa.
Ends/Monday, October 9, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:43
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