The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, visited Kwai Tsing District this afternoon (May 7), calling at a local enterprise and a secondary school.
 
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the Kwai Tsing District Council (K&TDC), Mr Law King-shing, and the District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Mr Kenneth Cheng, Mr Chan first visited a local food manufacturer with its own brand, where he toured around the factory and exchanged views with management to better understand the history and development of the brand and the factory's operation.
 
     Mr Chan said that Hong Kong brands have a strong reputation for their quality, design and innovation, both on the Mainland of China and worldwide. The Government is committed to providing a favourable business environment and firm support for local enterprises, helping them to explore and capture various opportunities for development, he added. Mr Chan said he sought to inject another $1 billion into the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) this year, following the introduction of $1.5 billion in the 2018-19 Budget, as well as extending its scope to include the Mainland of China, Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries and all economies which have entered into a Free Trade Agreement with Hong Kong. Moreover, a number of enhancement measures for the SME Export Marketing Fund have been implemented to assist small and medium enterprises in exploring new markets and business opportunities, including increasing the cumulative funding ceiling for each enterprise and the maximum grant amount for each application.
 
     Mr Chan then visited SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School, where he enjoyed a music performance by students and chatted with teachers and students.
 
     Before concluding his visit, Mr Chan met with members of the K&TDC to exchange views on various livelihood and development issues in the district.

Ends/Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Issued at HKT 20:10

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