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Cultural ministers and senior officials of 10 Asian countries came together in Hong Kong for the Asian Cultural Ministers' Panel Discussion session this morning (November 14) to exchange ideas and share views on the furtherance of cultural co-operation to promote the development of culture and the arts.
With the theme of "Literature and Cultural Vibrancy", the Asian Cultural Ministers' Panel Discussion session today was the highlight of the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum (ACCF) 2013 hosted by the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB).
Held in Hong Kong for the eighth year, the ACCF was launched in 2003 as one of the HAB's key initiatives to foster regional cultural co-operation, share good practices and promote culture and the arts.
Cultural ministers and senior officials from the Mainland, Brunei, Cambodia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam joined today's panel discussion session.
The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, addressed the panel discussion session and said that Hong Kong is highly committed to promoting regional cultural co-operation and exchange in Asia.
Mr Tsang said, "The rise of extensive areas in the Asian region is a reality. With the strengthening of regional economic co-operation and the speeding up of economic integration, interactions among peoples in Asia continue to intensify and Asian cultures are flourishing. As an international business, finance and shipping centre in the heart of Asia, Hong Kong also aspires to become a cultural hub. The West Kowloon Cultural District project, which is now making good progress, underlines our determination to promote long-term cultural development."
He said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach in supporting the development of literary arts in Hong Kong. This has included the promotion of literary works through various literature festivals, award schemes and competitions, as well as the setting up of archives and conducting research. Apart from promoting literary arts and artists locally, literary works from Hong Kong were also promoted to overseas readers.
The Minister of Culture, Dr Cai Wu, also addressed today's panel discussion session. Other cultural ministers and senior officials attending the session took turns to speak on the theme and joined together to exchange views with the audience in a question-and-answer session.
In the afternoon, cultural programmes were held for participating delegations to visit the Jao Tsung-I Academy as well as the Bruce Lee Exhibition and the Chinese Traditional Woodblock Prints Exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
To go with the theme of this year's ACCF, a library expert workshop entitled "Libraries and Culture Preservation and Promotion" was held in the afternoon. Speakers from the national libraries of China, Japan and Singapore as well as the Hong Kong Central Library shared their expertise in the collection, preservation and promotion of culture and literature. Library experts from Hong Kong, the Mainland and the participating Asian countries also joined the workshop.
Ends/Thursday, November 14, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:35
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