Following are the welcoming remarks by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Internet Economy Summit 2017 Main Forum themed "Shaping the Internet Economy for Growth" today (April 12):

Chief Executive (Mr C Y Leung), Director Zhuang (Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Mr Zhuang Rongwen) , Director Chen (Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Chen Dong) , President Ma (President of the China Internet Development Foundation, Ms Ma Li) , distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning! I am truly honored and delighted to join you all today at the second Internet Economy Summit. First, please let me express my deepest gratitude to the China Internet Development Foundation for their unfailing strong support in this important conference, which is also one of the major events of the 20th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

      As we know, the Internet economy has presented the world with abundant new business opportunities in an unprecedented way. We have seen breakthroughs not only in the traditional sectors, but also in the new sectors such as big data analytics, Internet of Things, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The theme of today's main forum, "Shaping the Internet Economy for Growth", focuses on the global trends and opportunities offered by the Internet in driving economic development.

     Riding on the success of the inaugural Internet Economy Summit last year, we have expanded this flagship event to a three-day conference this year. In addition to the main forum, four thematic forums are held to cover the specific sectors of FinTech, big data, smart city and e-commerce. Renowned experts and industry leaders from around the world will share with us their insights on the global trend and development of these four major industry verticals, and on Hong Kong's strengths and opportunities for future economic growth.

     Hong Kong's greatest competitive advantage is our strategic role as the super-connector to the Mainland of China. In addition to close proximity to the motherland, Hong Kong also enjoys distinctive advantage under the unique "one country, two systems" set-up. In a moment, the Honorable C Y Leung, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR will share with us his vision on the long-term development of Hong Kong's Internet economy. We are also honored to have Mr Zhuang Rongwen, Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, address us on the development of "Internet+" in Mainland China. In addition, there will be four prominent keynote speakers and two panels of experts from the industry later today. I am sure the main forum’s participants will be enlightened significantly by today's speakers and experts.

     Last but not the least, I wish the conference every success, and for those visitors from the Mainland and overseas a wonderful stay in Hong Kong.

     Thank you very much.

Ends/Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Issued at HKT 10:03

NNNN