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Hong Kong and Zhuhai partnered to organise a seminar in Florence, Italy today (April 27, Florence time) to promote investment in the two cities. Over 100 senior business executives attended the seminar and actively participated in the discussions concerning the business environments and opportunities in Hong Kong and Zhuhai.
The seminar, themed ¡°Hong Kong and Zhuhai: Partners for Your China Strategy,¡± was the third joint initiative by the two cities to promote investment opportunities in the Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD).
The seminar was jointly organised by Invest Hong Kong and the Zhuhai Municipal People¡¯s Government. It was co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, supported by the Italian business association Sviluppo Cina (Italy-China Association) and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena.
The full-day programme began with introductory remarks by the Coordinator of Team International Partner, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Mr Guiseppe Iadicicco.
The Minister for Economic Activities of the Tuscany Region Government, Mr Ambrogio Antonio Brenna; the Consul General of the People¡¯s Republic of China in Florence, Mr Li Run Fu; and the Deputy Representative to the European Communities, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, Ms Shirley Lam, also spoke to welcome the delegates and guests participating in the seminar.
Leaders of the Hong Kong and Zhuhai delegations - the Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Mike Rowse, and the Deputy Secretary General of Zhuhai Municipal People¡¯s Government, Ms Li Ying ¡ª encouraged Italian companies to explore the potential in the Greater PRD region by investing in both Hong Kong and Zhuhai.
In his keynote speech, Mr Rowse highlighted the advantages of Hong Kong as a strategic springboard to access the GPRD region. He also introduced the expanded opportunities presented by the free trade agreement between Mainland China and Hong Kong, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).
He said, ¡°Hong Kong plays a key role as a place for multinational firms to access the strength of not only the GPRD and the rest of the Mainland, but also the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. Our financial system, legal set-up, human resource, infrastructure are top league by any standard. The city has also consistently retained its position as Asia¡¯s second-largest destination for foreign direct investment, after the Mainland. ¡±
¡°Hong Kong and Zhuhai together present a winning combination for Italian firms to grasp the immense business opportunities in China. Many foreign investors have found it attractive to establish a base in Hong Kong to perform management, sales and marketing and logistics functions, while putting their manufacturing facilities in Zhuhai ¡ª tapping the comparative advantages of both places.¡± Mr Rowse added.
At the seminar, Ms Li said, ¡°Zhuhai is located in the southern part of Guangdong Province, one of the most dynamic and most powerful regions of China¡¯s economy. It is one of the earliest Special Economic Zones established in China, the logistics centre in the Pearl River Delta, the transportation focal point in southern China and the major gateway to the west of Guangdong Province. All of these advantages make Zhuhai an ideal location for various industrial sectors, such as electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing, electronics automation, bio-pharmaceutical, medical equipment, jewellery processing, and apparel.¡±
Following a speech by the Vice-President of Sviluppo Cina, Mr Riccardo Fuochi, on the complementary advantages of operating in both Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, senior executives from three Italian companies shared their first-hand experiences of investing in Hong Kong and Zhuhai. The companies -- Sicoma SpA [machinery], Uniflair SpA [industrial air conditioning] and Piovan Spa [plastics and precision moulding] -- enjoy unique advantages of operating in both Hong Kong and Zhuhai.
To provide practical advice on doing business in Hong Kong and Mainland China, Ms Patricia De Masi from the law firm Studio Legale De Masi Taddei Vasoli; and the Director, Southern Europe of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Ms Cheryl Le Butt, gave presentations to the participants.
The programme concluded with a consultation session in the afternoon. Invest Hong Kong and the Zhuhai Municipal People¡¯s Government provided free, on-site advice to companies with keen interests to invest in the GRPD.
¡°We are encouraged by the enthusiastic response from the Italian business community. Our investment promotion teams will actively follow up with the companies and facilitate their future investment in our region. We look forward to continued co-operation with Zhuhai to attract more overseas investors to the Greater Pearl River Delta region,¡± Mr Rowse added.
Ends/Thursday, April 27, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:16
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