Press Release - December 9, 2002

The massive infrastructure projects planned for Hong Kong in the next decade will mean tremendous business opportunities for Canadian companies, especially those in engineering, architectural, construction and landscaping sectors, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) (HKETO), Mrs Rosanna Ure, said today (December 9) in Toronto.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Toronto City Hall to unveil the large-scale �Building a Dynamic Hong Kong� photo exhibition organized by the HKETO, Mrs Ure also invited Canadian technology companies to participate in building a dynamic Hong Kong.

�Hong Kong is small geographically. But we think big, and we always look ahead,� she said.

�Hong Kong is known for its vision, its efficiency and its innovation.�

Mrs Ure cited the new world-class Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok as an example of the collaboration between Hong Kong and companies from all over the world.

�We need the world�s best talents to build the world�s best airport. Companies from all over the world have participated in Hong Kong�s major infrastructure projects such as the International Airport, and they have contributed to Hong Kong�s success. In return, Hong Kong has enabled them to be more successful,� she said.

In fact, several Canadian companies featured prominently in making the new airport project a reality. RWDI, Delcan, IBI Group and EIS were just a few examples.
Held at the Toronto City Hall�s Rotunda, the photo exhibition also captured some core infrastructure projects Hong Kong has completed and opened since 1997, including such spectacular projects as the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, the extension of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and Tsing Ma Bridge.

The photo exhibition provides an overview of the HKSAR Government�s plan for major initiatives involving a total investment of CAD$120 billion on some 1,600 infrastructure projects over the coming decade or so. Planned large-scale projects include new railway lines and bridges, revitalization of urban and rural areas and new developments along the waterfront at West Kowloon, Southeast Kowloon, Central District and Wan Chai.

In the opening ceremony, Mrs Ure, Director of the HKETO, was joined by the Honourable David Turnbull, Associate Minister of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation, Ontario, and Mr Case Ootes, Deputy Mayor of Toronto.

�Business opportunities presented by Hong Kong will not be limited by our physical boundary,� Mrs Ure said.

�As Hong Kong becomes more and more integrated with the Pearl River Delta economically, we are actively reviewing the links with the Pearl River Delta so that we can complement each other in future economic developments,� she added.

�As the business and logistics hub of the Asia Pacific Region, we are planning to build a second convention and exhibition center to cater for the ever-increasing need for such facilities around the world.�

In her address, she conveyed a strong message to Torontonians and all Canadians.

�A dynamic Hong Kong cannot and will not be built by Hong Kong people alone. We need Canadian technologies and expertise. And through more business and economic exchanges, Canadian economy will also grow,� she emphasized.

The �Building a Dynamic Hong Kong� photo exhibition will last until December 13 at the Toronto City Hall. Daily opening hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.



For more information, please contact:
John Tam, Chief Information Officer of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416) 924-5544 or email: [email protected] or
Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected].