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The Rooster was a good year for Hong Kong, the Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs in the United States, Miss Jacqueline Willis, told some 150 guests at the spring reception at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta today (February 3, US time) to celebrate the Year of the Dog.
"Anyone who has visited Hong Kong in recent months will feel the buzz of a city that's thriving economically and the sense of optimism in the community," she said.
"Real GDP growth reached 7.3% for the first three quarters of 2005 and we expect that the growth for the year as a whole will reach 7%. Retail sales value grew by 6.8% in the first 11 months. The unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in the three months ending December, 2005, the lowest since 2001. Both exports of goods and services continued to show distinct increases."
Miss Willis pointed out that Hong Kong had retained its position as the freest economy in the world in the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation for the 12th consecutive year, which was a testimony to Hong Kong's firm belief in the free market economy and free trade.
Speaking of the successful conclusion of the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the WTO last December, Miss Willis said she believed that Hong Kong had risen to the occasion, showing its organisation abilities, commitment to free speech, the right to protest, respect for the rule of law, and last but not least, a commitment to upholding the multilateral system.
On tourism, the commissioner noted that the openings of Hong Kong Disneyland last September and the Asia World-Expo exhibition and events complex last December represented a new chapter for Hong Kong to develop as a premier family tourism destination and a premier exhibition centre in the region.
"A total of 23.4 million visitors, which is equal to 3.4 times the size of our own population, came to Hong Kong in 2005. This represents a 7.1% increase from a year earlier. Among them, 1.15 million are from the US," she said.
Turning to overseas business confidence in the territory, the commissioner cited as examples the 3,798 overseas companies which had operations in Hong Kong as at June 1, 2005 and the US$26.7 billion inward FDI inflows to Hong Kong in the first three quarters of 2005, adding that the December, 2005, Business Outlook Survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong had indicated that member companies strongly believed in the strength of Hong Kong's economy and business environment conditions, with the majority planning for growth in the next three years.
As she extended Chinese New Year greetings to the guests, Miss Willis pledged that Hong Kong would be the best friend in business. "Dogs are man's best friend. They are loyal, faithful and honest. In the Year of the Dog, Hong Kong will continue to be a trustworthy friend you can rely on. Come and visit us to check out on the business opportunities, come and visit us to see the trade exhibitions, come and visit us with your families and enjoy Disney and all that Hong Kong has to offer. Asia's world city is waiting for you," she said.
After the spring reception, the commissioner joined the viewers at the screening of "Initial D" at the opening of the "Hong Kong Panorama" film series at the Rich Theatre of the High Museum of Art.
The commissioner said it was gratifying to see the strong following which Hong Kong films were enjoying worldwide, and that Hong Kong had continued to be among the world's largest film exporters, ranking first in Asia and second in the world in 2004 in per capita production.
Noting that Hong Kong films had gained increasing international recognition, she said that apart from buying the distribution rights to Hong Kong films, Hollywood had set its sights on remaking the widely-acclaimed "Infernal Affairs" featuring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. "In its reincarnation, the film has been renamed The Departed. The director is the renowned Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon."
She encouraged the audience to see the other three award-winning films featured in the film series which showcased the style, emotion and energy that made Hong Kong films so distinctive.
Apart from the opening film "Initial D" by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak starring Jay Chow and Anthony Wong, the three other films - "One Nite in Mongkok" by Derek Yee, starring Cecilia Cheung and Daniel Wu; "The Foliage" by Lu Yue starring Shu Qui and Liu Ye and "2046" by Wong Kar Wai, starring Tong Leung Chiu Wai, Faye Wong, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li will be shown from February 3 to 18.
Ends/Saturday, February 4, 2006
Issued at HKT 10:10
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