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At Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day Seminar and VIP Dinner 2016 held in the port city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, yesterday (July 4, Netherlands time), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) promoted Hong Kong as a key partner to help Dutch companies seize business opportunities in Mainland China and the region, in particular those that will arise from China's visionary Belt and Road Initiative.
In her welcoming remarks, Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels, Miss Alice Choi, briefed participants, including businessmen, bankers, lawyers and media representatives, about Hong Kong's enduring advantages and strengths as a major international financial, logistics and business hub with unique knowledge of Mainland China.
"We take pride in the fact that Hong Kong has always been the 'super-connector' connecting the Mainland with the rest of the world, and we stand ready to help Dutch companies seize the far-reaching opportunities that the Belt and Road Initiative will provide," Miss Choi said.
Miss Choi added that, in addition to its traditional pillar industries of trading and logistics, financial services, professional and producer services and tourism, new business sectors like creative industries, innovation and technology are developing rapidly in Hong Kong, which has a flourishing start-up ecosystem.
Also speaking at the seminar, Senior Investment Promotion Executive, Invest Hong Kong, Ms Paula Kant, detailed the advantages of Hong Kong when doing business in Asia, underlining that Hong Kong is one of the most business-friendly places in the world and has a simple as well as low taxation system, with corporate tax a maximum of 16.5 per cent of profits.
The seminar in Rotterdam, entitled "The Belt and Road Initiative: Implications and Chances for Hong Kong and the Netherlands" was co-organised by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands and the Netherlands Hong Kong Society, in cooperation with HKETO, Brussels; Invest Hong Kong; and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
Other speakers were the Chairman of the Netherlands Hong Kong Society, Mr Hans Poulis; the Director of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands, Mr George Ammerlaan; and the Director, UK, Benelux and Ireland, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr David Marsden. Other experts presented three detailed case studies on specific "Belt and Road" opportunities for the Rotterdam area and legal and customs aspects of doing business with China.
The event is one of a series of seminars that HKETO, Brussels is organising or supporting around Europe to promote Hong Kong, in particular its role in the Belt and Road Initiative. Previous events were held in Venice, Italy (March 15); Bucharest, Romania (March 21); Milan, Italy (March 22); Madrid (April 12) and Barcelona (April 13), Spain; and Brussels, Belgium (April 20).
The seminar was followed by a networking reception and a VIP dinner co-hosted by HKETO, Brussels, the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Hong Kong Society at Maritime Museum Rotterdam, in the presence of the Museum's Director, Mr Frits Loomeijer. A catwalk show by Hong Kong fashion designer Angelle Chang of Jow Fashion, who is based in the Netherlands, showcased the creativity of Hong Kong designers.
Ends/Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Issued at HKT 06:05
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