Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Annual Dinner 2018 this evening (November 13):

Dick (President of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Mr Dick Kwok), Winnie (Vice-President of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and Chairlady of the Annual Dinner Organising Committee, Ms Winnie Shiu), distinguished guests, government colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to join you all at this annual event of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) to celebrate the achievements made by professionals and practitioners in the surveying field year after year. This is the second HKIS event that I attended within the past two weeks. I am most pleased to be the Guest of Honour of the "Create Your District" Competition 2018 award presentation ceremony on October 27 and of this landmark event of the Institute tonight.

     First of all, I would like to express my warmest appreciation to the HKIS and the surveying profession for your sterling support and contribution to the continuous development of Hong Kong.

     "Connect and Excel" is the new tagline that we have just adopted for our Brand Hong Kong campaign overseas. It defines how Hong Kong's high degree of connectivity, globally and with the Mainland of China, helps propel people and businesses to excellence in their chosen fields.

     The tagline "connect and excel" also applied to the surveying industry.  Thanks to the rigorous professional standards set by the HKIS and industry players in Hong Kong, we are proud to enjoy high quality services provided by our pool of surveyors renowned for their determination to drive the sector to continue to "excel" by setting high-quality standards, establishing codes of ethics and promoting continuous professional development. 

     Our surveying practitioners are well "connected" with their counterparts around the globe. In particular, the HKIS has an established presence in the international arena and has entered into reciprocal agreements with professional surveying and valuation institutes in the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore recognising the counterpart's member's qualifications. In addition, the HKIS is a member of various leading international surveying organisations.

     Our surveyors not only excel in their professional practice, but are equally passionate about public policies and the well-being of the Hong Kong community. Over the years, we have benefited from the insightful advice of the profession on a wide spectrum of issues including town planning, housing policies, building quality, and land management. The surveying profession also join hands with the local community such as offering commendable professional support to NGOs on the Community Housing Movement to help develop Hong Kong into a more liveable, competitive and sustainable place.

     To this end, we look forward to the continuous support of the building industry including the HKIS and the wider community at large. As the Chief Executive announced in her second Policy Address last month, the improvement of livelihood and the development of the economy and transport infrastructure of our society hinge on land resources, without which all strategies or plans will end up in empty talk. Meeting the demand for land and housing has always been one of our greatest challenges, and continues to top the agenda of the Government. This is a daunting task but we need to join hands with all quarters of society to build a housing ladder to rekindle the hope of families in different income brackets to have adequate housing to enjoy life in this city.

     Ladies and gentlemen, the Government will continue to spare no effort in building a better and brighter Hong Kong and continue to work with all sectors including the HKIS in charting the way forward.

     On this note, I wish you all a very enjoyable evening. Thank you very much.

Ends/Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Issued at HKT 20:55

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