Dr Jonathan CHOI Koon-shum (Chairman of the 51st terms of office) December 2018
CGCC will continue to take active part in China’s ongoing reform and open pursuits, and maximize both the “benefits of being one country” and the “advantages of having two systems” to promote greater involvement of Hong Kong’s business community in the wider development of China.
Last month, together with a number of CGCC members, I joined a visiting delegation comprising members of different sectors from Hong Kong and Macau to celebrate China’s 40 years of Reform and Opening Up Policy. When receiving the delegation, President Xi Jinping gave full recognition to the contributions made by Hong Kong and Macau compatriots during the Reform and Opening Up era. He also revealed four wishes for the future that will undoubtedly provide great encouragement to the business and industry sectors in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as CGCC Hong Kong members.
During the next stage of progress in reform and opening up, CGCC will do everything in its power to enable Hong Kong to continue serving as a two-way bridge, while maximizing the advantages of “One Country, Two Systems” so Hong Kong can integrate into China’s wider development at a higher level.
CGCC’s irreplaceable role as a bridge
During 40 years of China’s open door policy, CGCC has taken active part in the reform process and played the vital bridging role between the two regions. Late last month, the Central Government of China published a list of a hundred individuals who have made outstanding contributions to promote the country’s reform and opening up. CGCC’s contribution was amply demonstrated by the fact that three of the five commended Hong Kong individuals on the list, namely Wong Kwan-cheng, Henry Fok and Tsang Hin-chi, formerly served as CGCC Chairman. In fact, many CGCC members actively participated in the early stages of reform and invested development projects on the Mainland. Their leadership created a mainland investment boom in the Hong Kong business community.
CGCC first introduced its Hong Kong Industry and Commerce Training Program in the early 1980s. The program has provided training to more than 7,000 state cadres and corporate managers to date. CGCC has also served as a facilitator to strengthen connections between Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas enterprises. As Southeast Asian economies continued to expand in recent years, we have also made the most of our Chamber of Commerce contacts to build platforms to engage Chinese entrepreneurs across the world.
Seizing new opportunities for regional collaboration
Actively promoted by the Government, the “Belt and Road Initiative” (B&R) and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) initiatives signify that the country is stepping up efforts to open up to the world. Hong Kong will also be presented with unprecedented new development opportunities, and CGCC will play an even greater role in this process by helping the business community to keep in pace with China as it grows and develops in the next stage of reform and opening up.
We will continue to promote and take part in relevant committees for the B&R and Bay Area initiatives, so as to further support Hong Kong’s role in regional economic development as an intermediary, investor and operator. We will also continue to strengthen ties with Chinese entrepreneurs throughout the world by holding regular CGCC World Chinese Entrepreneurs Summits, at which CGCC is able to play an important role in sharing opportunities for mutual benefits with Chinese entrepreneurs worldwide.
Innovative technology is the new driver of dynamic economic growth
The Central Government has also announced specific plans to support Hong Kong’s development into an international center of innovative technology. CGCC will do everything possible to align with this major goal and promote the integration of Hong Kong’s scientific research and professional services with industry clusters of the Greater Bay Area to create a hub for innovative technological collaborations.
Looking forward, CGCC will continue to take active part in China’s ongoing reform and open pursuits, and maximize both the “benefits of being one country” and the “advantages of having two systems” to promote greater involvement of Hong Kong’s business community in the wider development of China. We will go through with CGCC’s orientation of “taking roots in Hong Kong, gaining support from the Motherland and reaching out to the world” and to implement the vision of “establishing prosperous Hong Kong, integrating with establishment of the Motherland and exploring business opportunities towards the world”. We will stay committed to building a thriving economy for Hong Kong and strive to improve local living standards. We are proud to take on greater responsibility for the next stage of China’s reform and opening up.