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Hong Kong's strategic location in Asia and the many advantages an enterprise can enjoy doing business in Hong Kong have made the city not only an ideal destination for trade and investment but also a platform for accessing the vast Mainland market.
This was said by the Principal Economic and Trade Representative (Tokyo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Mrs Jennie Chok, today (August 31) at a Hong Kong business seminar attended by some 90 government officials and business leaders in Kagoshima, Japan. The seminar was organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo.
Elaborating on the close trade and investment relations between Hong Kong and Mainland China, Mrs Chok said all eligible Hong Kong incorporated companies, irrespective of their nationality, could take advantage of the benefits of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Framework Agreement.
Hong Kong's role as a renminbi market platform outside the Mainland was further promoted with the signing of a Supplementary Memorandum of Co-operation between the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the People's Bank of China on the expansion of the renminbi trade settlement scheme in July, she added.
"If Kagoshima businesses are thinking of developing the Chinese Mainland market, selling or showcasing your produce or other merchandise in Hong Kong is an excellent starting point, since we have millions of Mainland visitors in Hong Kong everyday.
"Through reaching out to these Mainland consumers in Hong Kong, you are potentially building up your brand image in the large, fast-growing Mainland market too," Mrs Chok said.
She also briefed the participants on the strong characteristics and fundamentals of the Hong Kong economy that inspire investors' confidence, including the rule of law upheld by an independent judiciary, stable and clean government, a low and simple tax system, free trade and a level playing field for doing business.
After the business seminar, Mrs Chok attended the Round Table Meeting of the 17th Hong Kong-Kagoshima Conference to exchange views with the prefecture's government officials and business leaders on future exchanges and co-operation in various fields ranging from the economy to tourism.
The Hong Kong-Kagoshima Conference is held biennially in Hong Kong and Kagoshima to foster bilateral relations and collaboration between the two places.
Ends/Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:56
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