CE’s North American Visit Fruitful

Political leaders, think-tanks, lobby groups and top business people in Vancouver, New York and Washington, D.C. welcomed Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mr. Donald Tsang, on his first official overseas visit since his 
installation. 

Mr. Tsang took the opportunity of many high-level political meetings to explain in detail Hong Kong's constitutional reform package and plans to boost the representative nature of the elections for the Chief Executive in 2007 and the Legislative Council in 2008.

The Chief Executive also directed a key message to North American business people, urging them to leverage Hong Kong’s strengths in financial, logistics and legal services to develop business opportunities in Asia, 
especially China. In speeches to the North American audience, including over 1,400 business leaders in Vancouver, Mr. Tsang outlined the potential for visionary businesses to tap into the Pan-Pearl River Delta (Pan-PRD) market of 460 million. 

“You cannot discuss Pan-PRD without talking about Hong Kong. It would be like discussing Moby Dick without mentioning the whale,” Mr. Tsang told the Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Forum in Vancouver. The Forum 
represented the first time that Hong Kong and the south China province of Guangdong joined forces to present a large-scale promotion in Canada.

The audience included Canada's Federal Minister for Industry, Mr. David Emerson; British Columbia's Premier, Mr. Gordon Campbell; Guangdong Governor, Mr. Huang Huahua; and China's Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Lu Shumin.

Mr. Tsang described Hong Kong’s strategic position in developing and facilitating burgeoning economic growth in the Pan-PRD Region. By leveraging its own advantages, Mr. Tsang said, Hong Kong is able to extend opportunities to foreign businesses. Initiatives like the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), a landmark free-trade arrangement between Hong Kong and the Mainland, and the Pan-PRD Regional Co-operation and 
Development Forum, present tremendous opportunities for Canadian companies to gain a fast track into the China market.



In a meeting with Premier Campbell in Vancouver, Mr. Tsang provided an update on Hong Kong's GDP growth, the exciting developments in the tourism industry and the improving employment situation.



He also met with Minister Emerson to discuss, among other topics, Canada's recently launched Pacific Gateway Strategy, a C$590 million initiative to strengthen trade, investment and tourism links between Canada and Pacific economies, including Hong Kong and Mainland China. 



Minister Emerson told reporters that the Canadian government was taking pro-active steps to improve links with Hong Kong and Mainland China and to boost the efficiency and competitiveness of Canadian business in the region and “take it to a whole new level”. He applauded Mr. Tsang for strongly reinforcing the message that “Hong Kong is the bridgehead to China for Canadian businesses.” Hong Kong is not only a service centre, he 
said, but also a gateway that should appeal especially to small and medium-sized companies, as it removes many uncertainties that can be encountered in China.

Mr. Tsang emphasized the importance of the “very strong ties between Hong Kong and Canada”, and expressed his hope that Canadian business people had received his message concerning the vast business opportunities, 
investment opportunities and bilateral trade emerging in the development of Pearl River Delta and the nine provinces in the neighborhood of Hong Kong.


Mr. Tsang summed up his first overseas visit as Chief Executive as “very worthwhile.” His message concerning constitutional development in Hong Kong created a new spectrum beyond the business angle, and projected a continuing positive image about Hong Kong’s future prospects.

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