Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the HSBC Community Day opening ceremony today (April 5):

    I would like to pay warm tribute to HSBC and the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals for joining hands to present this signature event. This is the first-ever HSBC Community Day, collaborating with Tung Wah. HSBC is one of the oldest banks with the longest history in Hong Kong, while Tung Wah is the first Chinese hospital. You are the number one in terms of your operation and funding. So we are talking about the two "number one" joining hands together, which is, I think, pretty meaningful.

    The second point I want to make is that this event testifies to HSBC's corporate social responsibility and also its sincerity and enthusiasm in promoting rugby amongst the younger generation. Rugby is a very meaningful sport because it really trains young people to be resilient, and building team work in particular, and also to face adversities. We are facing problems day in day out in Hong Kong, so it is a very good means of training up our youngsters through sports.

    And finally, Hong Kong Sevens of course has established itself as a permanent fixture in Hong Kong, and also a tourist attraction. It is a Major Sports Event in Hong Kong, putting Hong Kong firmly on the map of international sport.

    On that note, I thank you all, the HSBC and of course Tung Wah. Two stalls that you must not miss: one is the Parents Academy, the other one is the Happy Learning with Robots. These are funded by HSBC, marking its 150th anniversary. I was involved in the final adjudication, they have my DNA in there. So I have a personal connection to the two projects.

    On that note, thank you again. Have a good day. Thank you!

Ends/Thursday, April 5, 2018
Issued at HKT 17:44

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