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Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at the Hong Kong Cinema Reception of the Brisbane International Film Festival in Brisbane, Australia today (August 3):
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here tonight, not only to be part of the Hong Kong Cinema presentation at this year's Brisbane International Film Festival - an event that is gaining in stature in the Asia-Pacific region - but also to continue the celebrations for Hong Kong's 10th Anniversary as a Special Administrative Region of China.
To help commemorate this historic occasion, the Hong Kong Government and many other organisations have been organising a large number of events around the world to showcase Hong Kong's achievements in the past decade. Just 10 days ago, I had the honour of opening the Asian Ministers' Forum on Cultural Co-operation - a meeting that brought together delegates with wide-ranging expertise from the five continents to discuss regional cultural co-operation and to promote arts and creative industries.
I mention the Asian Ministers' Forum to highlight the fact that the gathering was conceived in the darkest days when Hong Kong was hit consecutively by the Asian financial crisis, the avian flu and then SARS. It was a most difficult and painful period for us, but we have now left it behind us.
Our economy has been going from strength to strength, averaging over seven-and-half percent growth in the past three years; unemployment is down to 4.2%, hitting a nine-year low; exports of goods and services are buoyant, so too are our retail sales; and our equity market, though volatile of late, has been testing new highs, similar to what is happening here in Australia. Our ever closer ties with Mainland China have opened up tremendous new opportunities for Hong Kong. Mind you, I cannot claim any credit for this robust state of affairs because I have only been in my new job as Financial Secretary for just over one month. But it does help make people more cheerful and my life a little easier!
Hong Kong is a dynamic hub for trade, finance and tourism, as well as a two-way business platform between the Mainland and the rest of the world. But beneath the hustle and bustle and the frantic pace of life in the city, there is a flourishing cultural scene which gives Hong Kong its heart and soul; and a World City with a unique fusion of the creative talents from the East and the West.
And this is reflected in our film industry, which itself has had its own ups and downs over the past two decades. Ours is an industry that has gained a global reputation with many Hong Kong actors, directors, cinematographers and producers becoming household names. They are winning acclaim for their unique style, incisive direction and sometimes off-beat storylines.
As a government, we are promoting Hong Kong as a film centre with the facilities, expertise and support for every movie occasion. We have established a Film Services Office, which has streamlined procedures for location shooting, to promote Hong Kong as a leading film production service centre of the Asia Pacific region. In April this year, we formed a Film Development Council to advise us on the policy and strategy for the promotion and development of the film industry, as well as the use of public funds to support the industry. We have also injected HK$300 million into the Film Development Fund and expanded its scope to finance the production of small-to-medium budget films in addition to other projects conducive to the healthy and long-term development of the film industry.
I believe you will find there is no shortage of talent in tonight's premier event, The Banquet, nor in the second Hong Kong film in the Brisbane International Film Festival, Eye In The Sky, which screens on Sunday night.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I sincerely hope that you will enjoy our film tonight. Have a good time. Thank you.
Ends/Friday, August 3, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:03
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