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Following are the welcoming remarks by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Internet Economy Summit 2016 today (April 13):
Chief Executive (Mr C Y Leung), Deputy Director Xu (Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Mr Xu Lin), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the inaugural Internet Economy Summit, organised by the HKSAR Government and supported by the China Internet Development Foundation. We are deeply honoured to have the Chief Executive and Mr Xu Lin, Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, to be our officiating guests today.
The summit is a flagship event of the annual International IT Fest of Hong Kong, a two-week festival showcasing Hong Kong's developments and achievements in the ICT sector. Today, we are also starting what we hope to be an annual signature summit of the global Internet economy. The summit will provide a platform for renowned ICT industry experts, visionaries and leaders of innovative and technology enterprises around the world to meet and "click"; to interact and share insights for the future development of the Internet economy.
I am delighted that we have invited an ensemble of influential speakers from the industry and top management of well-known enterprises from both the East and the West. They will share with us their views and insights on topics such as technology driving economic changes, opportunities arising from "Internet Plus", big data and Internet of Things, and data-driven economic growth in both the Mainland and the rest of the world. In addition, you should not miss the inspiring fireside chat with CEOs and panel discussions later in the summit.
The Hong Kong SAR Government is spearheading the development of Hong Kong into a smart city. The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Smart City Development Alliance of the Mainland and the Smart City Consortium of Hong Kong today marks a new chapter for Hong Kong's industry to partner with their Mainland counterparts to jointly pursue the development of smart city.
As Marc Andreessen once said, "The Internet has always been, and always will be, a magic box." Let us celebrate and enhance this magic. I believe the Internet Economy Summit will be an eye-opening event for all of us, to explore the development trends, strategies and opportunities of the future Internet economy. I wish you will all have a fruitful sharing of great ideas. For our Mainland and overseas guests, I wish you will have a wonderful stay in Hong Kong.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:56
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