11 July , 2012

Second Annual Hong Kong Summit Focuses On
Hong Kong-East Asia Regional Co-operation

The second annual Hong Kong Summit was held on July 11. With “Regional Co-operation Between Hong Kong and East Asia” as its theme, this year’s summit brought together the business intelligentsia from China, Hong Kong and various East Asian countries, including officials, opinion leaders and scholars. The forum was hosted by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC). Under the leadership of its chairman, Dr. Jonathan Choi, the CGCC has been actively championing a more active role for Hong Kong in trans-regional co-operation. In his speech, Dr. Choi pointed out that Hong Kong can capitalize on its advantages in finance, trade and commerce to help drive multilateral, mutually beneficial co-operation between East Asian countries. It is a point of view shared by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, which has urged Hong Kong to take the lead in joining the China-ASEAN Intra-Regional Trade Zone as an independent tariff area of China.

The guests of honour at the event were Mr. Tung Chee Hwa, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr. C.Y. Leung, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Ms. Guo Li, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Mr. Song Zhe, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR. Also present at the event was Mr. Kit Szeto, Director & CEO of Dim Sum TV.

The forum provided an opportunity for some of the best minds from East Asian official circles and academia to take an in-depth look at the latest East Asian economic trends and explore the prospects for regional economic co-operation. In his opening speech, Mr. C.Y. Leung highlighted the importance of regional co-operation by quoting a Chinese maxim, “It’s better to have good neighbors than faraway relatives.” He pointed out that East Asia has developed into a powerful economic engine over the past 10 years. Despite the economic slowdown in the U.S. and Europe, the economic forecasts for the region still inspire confidence: growth rates of 6.9% and 7.3% for this year and next year respectively. In the face of the challenges ahead, co-operation between East Asian countries is crucial to maintaining the momentum of economic expansion.

Mr. Gao Hucheng, China’s International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce, stressed that Hong Kong’s participation in multilateral and regional economic co-operation has the full support of the Central Government. In the future, Hong Kong’s interests will be given a high priority in the Government’s negotiations with foreign trade partners. He suggested that Hong Kong should join the China-ASEAN Intra-Regional Trade Zone as an independent tariff area of China in order to forge stronger ties with developing East Asian economies.

The guests and speakers at the forum include Mr. Gregory So, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Hong Kong)，H.E. Mr. Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minster of Commerce (Cambodia)，H.E. Dr.Nam Viyaketh, Minister of Industry and Commerce (Laos), Mr. Bayu Krisnamurthi, Vice Minster of Trade (Indonesia), Mr. Michitaka Nakatomi, Principal Trade Negotiator, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)， Ambassador Lee Sihyung, Deputy Minister for Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Korea)，Dr. Kan Zaw, Deputy Minister for National Planning and Economic Development (Myanmar)，Mr. Cristino L. Panlilio, Under Secretary for Trade and Investment Promotions Group, Department of Trade and Industry (The Philippines)，and H.E. Mr.Nguyen Nam Hai, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade (Vietnam).

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