Sydney ETO holds reception in Auckland to celebrate Year of Rabbit (with photos)
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Over 100 guests from various sectors including political and business circles, media, academic and community groups as well as government representatives attended the reception. Among them was the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland, Mr Chen Shijie.
Addressing the reception in a virtual speech, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said that Hong Kong and New Zealand have collaborated broadly on many fronts, including innovation and technology (I&T). The I&T sector in Hong Kong has been flourishing with an increasingly vibrant I&T ecosystem.
He pointed out that the 14th Five-Year Plan has indicated the clear backing of Hong Kong to develop into an international I&T centre. Hong Kong is pushing ahead with the development of many I&T infrastructure projects, notably the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop area, to reinforce Hong Kong's leading position as the best gateway to the Mainland, in particular the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area market for international I&T enterprises.
"We recently published the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint to establish a clear development path and formulate systematic strategic planning for our I&T development over the next five to 10 years, charting Hong Kong in moving full steam towards the vision of an international I&T centre. The Blueprint will be taken forward along four broad development directions, namely to enhance the I&T ecosystem and promote 'new industrialisation' in Hong Kong, to enlarge the I&T talent pool to create strong impetus for growth, to promote digital economy development and develop Hong Kong into a smart city, and to proactively integrate into the overall development of the country and consolidate our role as a bridge connecting the Mainland and the world," Professor Sun added.
The Director of the Sydney ETO, Miss Trista Lim, said in her welcoming remarks that the Hello Hong Kong campaign heralds Hong Kong's return to the world stage. Hong Kong is pressing ahead with high-quality economic development through an array of proactive initiatives to attract enterprises and talents, as announced in the 2022 Policy Address and the 2023-24 Budget. Miss Lim also highlighted that the Government is vigorously pursuing an early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the world's largest free trade agreement to date.
To promote Chinese traditional culture, a martial arts performance was staged at the reception. The reception in Auckland marked the conclusion of Chinese New Year celebration events hosted by the Sydney ETO in different cities across Australia and New Zealand.
Ends/Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:20
Issued at HKT 16:20
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