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About 150 guests from local government, business and community sectors celebrated the Year of the Ram at a reception in Los Angeles today (March 4, Los Angeles time). The event was the annual spring reception hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco.
The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, Ms Subrina Chow, noted that California's exports to Hong Kong continue to grow. Last year, total exports from California to Hong Kong amounted to US$8.5 billion, a 9 per cent increase as compared to the 2013 figure. She expressed the hope that the growth momentum would continue, taking trade between California and Hong Kong to another new height this year.
Ms Chow took the opportunity to thank the partners in Southern California who have helped the Office to present Hong Kong movies and welcome government officials, academics and delegations from arts and technology groups from Hong Kong. "All these visits are good indicators that the arenas for exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and Southern California have extended well beyond trade and investment, to education, arts and culture," she said.
Also speaking at the reception, the Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs, USA, Mr Clement Leung, commented that Hong Kong's economy has fared well. "Our GDP grew by 2.3 per cent and the jobless rate is just 3.3 per cent.
"I am also pleased to share that the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal ranked Hong Kong as the freest economy in the world for the 21st year in a row," he said.
In his remarks at the reception, Mr Leung also touched on the occupy movement in Hong Kong. "While tensions ran high, the movement ended largely peacefully, with ample room for protesters to express their views to the world. This speaks volumes about Hong Kong's civility and the rights and freedoms our citizens enjoy under 'One Country, Two Systems'. Hong Kong is still unique. Our city is still a very special place," he said.
Mr Leung said he hoped that people in Hong Kong can display pragmatism, flexibility and a can-do spirit to forge a consensus on the implementation of universal suffrage to elect the city's next Chief Executive in 2017, so that 5 million voters will directly elect the next Chief Executive by "one person, one vote".
"We are conscious that political controversy should not knock us off our balance. We continue to make long-term plans to stay ahead of the game," he continued.
Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on its position as China's global financial centre and leverage its "super-connector" role between the Mainland of China and the rest of the world.
"We are working to promote new growth sectors of arbitration, intellectual property trading and creative industries, as well as innovation and technology," Mr Leung said. Hong Kong will upgrade the quality of its workforce and make it easier for talented people and entrepreneurs from around the globe to stay, live, work or establish a business there, he added.
Ends/Thursday, March 5, 2015
Issued at HKT 13:43
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