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8.23 Summit explores regional opportunities
(Hong Kong, 8 August 2018) Chinese entrepreneurs around the world have played a key role in promoting regional co-operation and enhancing interactions between Mainland China and the international market. With its unique advantage under the "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong has an internationally connected business and professional services profile to serve as an important bridge between the Mainland and the world. Over the years, the Hong Kong business community and Chinese entrepreneurs worldwide have built an extensive network of partnerships, which would provide an important platform for driving the national development strategies of the “Belt & Road” and the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area”.
To further examine the development prospects of the Belt & Road and the Bay Area markets, and in particular the opportunities for businesses and professionals in the new economy, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) will hold the "CGCC World Chinese Entrepreneurs Summit" at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday, 23 August 2018. Government officials from Mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as business leaders, experts and academics from different sectors, will explore the opportunities for Chinese entrepreneurs in the new regional cooperation landscape. The Summit also aims to facilitate further exchanges among Chinese entrepreneurs around the world, and to deepen industrial and regional cooperation in light of global economic uncertainties.
The supporting organisations of the Summit include the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR. The event is also fully supported by Chinese entrepreneurs organisations from Mainland China and overseas. Dr. Jonathan Choi, Chairman of CGCC, and Ms. Connie Wong, Vice-chairman of CGCC, hosted a media gathering today to give more details of the Summit and its distinguished speakers.
Leveraging Hong Kong’s Advantages to Promote “Belt & Road” and “Bay Area” Development
Dr. Jonathan Choi said that the Summit, with the theme of "Belt & Road and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Opportunities", would explore from a macro perspective the regional cooperation outlook and how Chinese entrepreneurs and businesses might seize opportunities for further growth. It would also seek to promote Hong Kong’s professional services. Indeed, the city offers a wide range of professional services and has unique advantages in, among others, finance, accounting, arbitration and dispute resolution, information technology, architecture and surveying, environmental protection and business consultancy, which can support the Belt & Road and the Bay Area development.
Meanwhile, innovation and technology have become an important driving force for sustained economic growth. President Xi Jinping also expressed earlier his support for greater technological co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland, and for Hong Kong to develop into a global innovation and technology center. The Summit will examine how innovative technologies can facilitate the upgrade and transformation of enterprises and the regional economy, and look into the latest trends in innovation development.
Dr. Choi emphasized that it is Hong Kong’s, as well as CGCC’s, positioning to integrate itself into the overall development of the nation. CGCC will continue to facilitate regional economic cooperation and promote Hong Kong's unique advantages as a global center for Chinese entrepreneurs, which would not only help meet the nation’s needs but also inject new impetus for Hong Kong’s economic growth.
Providing an Exchange Platform for Political and Business Leaders and Global Chinese Entrepreneurs
The Honourable Mrs. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, will deliver an opening keynote speech at the Summit. The event will also serve as an exchange platform for nearly 1,000 attendees including officials from Mainland China, Chinese entrepreneurs around the world, local business leaders and professionals, who would discuss the opportunities from the Belt & Road and the Bay Area development.
The Summit features several panel discussions and topical sessions. The morning session, “Leveraging on Hong Kong's Strengths on the Business & Professional Services for New Regional Cooperation Development”, will include two panel discussions under the topics of “Explore New Opportunities for ‘Belt and Road’ Market” and “Promote the ‘Bay Area’ Development”, respectively.
The first panel discussion session, focusing on new opportunities from the Belt & Road, will be moderated by Mr. Antony Leung, Group Chairman & CEO of Nan Fung Group. Panelists include: Dr. Bernard Chan, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of HKSAR; Mr. Dhanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, Thailand; Dr. Zheng Yuewen, Vice Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce; Mr. Rimsky Yuen, Senior Counsel; and Prof. Zhang Yansheng, Chief Research Fellow of China Center for International Economic Exchanges.
The second panel discussion session, focusing on promoting the Bay Area development, will be moderated by Dr. Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Guangdong-HK-Macao Bay Area Entrepreneurs Union. Panelists include: Mr. Patrick Nip, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of HKSAR; Dr. Sunny Chai, Chairperson of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; Mr. Yuan Jun, Vice President of Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences; Prof. Jacky So, Dean of Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Macau; and Mr. Jack Chan, Representative of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. It is believed that the exchange of views among the panelists could offer insights into the opportunities from the Belt & Road and the Bay Area, and into how Hong Kong’s unique strengths may be utilized for further market development.
The afternoon session of the Summit, themed “New Economy and Opportunities for Business & Professionals Services”, will also include two panel discussions. The first one, under the topic of “Development of Smart City”, will have the following panelists: Mr. Lin Guangming, Chief Corporate Banking Officer of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited; Mr. Daniel Hong, Vice President of Financial Technology (FiT) of Tencent; Mr. Ian Chung, PRC Leader and Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific, of AECOM; Mr. Pek Lian Guan, Managing Director & CEO of Tiong Seng Group, Singapore; and Mr. Waynffly Zhong, Chief Marketing Officer of China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited. Mr. Eric Yeung, President of Smart City Consortium, will be the moderator. The session aims to examine the trends in smart city development and the related application of professional services.
The second afternoon panel discussion session, under the topic of “New Impetus for Innovation Economy”, will be moderated by Prof. Tony F Chan, Founding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong and President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Panelists include: Mr. Shang Hailong, Executive Director of HKAI LAB; Mr. Teoh Kok Lin, Founder & Chief Investment Officer of Singular Asset Management, Malaysia; Dr. Melvin Toh, Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development of CK Life Sciences; and Mr. Cheung Chun Yin, Risk Assurance Partner of PwC China. The panelists will examine the current market trends and the prospects for further interaction between artificial intelligence and the professional services sector.
About the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC)
Founded in 1900, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) is one of the oldest and largest chambers of commerce in Hong Kong. CGCC aims to serve the community and, advancing with time, to maintain Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, reaching out to the world with its roots in Hong Kong and backing from the Motherland.
Anchored in Hong Kong, CGCC strives to build a business, economic and trading platform and safeguard business interests. CGCC always supports the HKSAR Government’s administration and maintains close liaison with its departments. It also actively participates in and expresses the views of the business community, particularly on policies affecting industry and commerce, speaking up for members and the business community through representatives of the Legislative Council, various government departments and other public institutions and business organizations. The “We Care We Share” campaign was initiated by CGCC, which also set up youth training programmes such as the “Internship and Exchange Program for Tertiary Students” and the “Young Astronaut Training Camp” to promote business community care in society and fulfill our corporate social responsibilities.
CGCC plays an active part in China’s ongoing development and reform measures and its steady opening-up to the world. A good number of our members are National People’s Congress deputies and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee members. They offer ideas and suggestions and their contributions are well recognized by national leaders. With a vision of building a “bringing-in and going-out” platform for the country, CGCC maintains close relations with commercial organizations across the border, as well as having initiated training programmes for senior officials and executives from the Mainland since 1982. In recent years, CGCC has made strenuous efforts to reinforce economic interaction between Hong Kong and major economic regions on the Mainland, with focus on the Pearl River and Yangtze River Deltas. Meanwhile, CGCC has made a timely response to encourage the Hong Kong business community to participate in the country’s strategies such as its free trade zones, “Belt and Road” initiative and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
As one of the three Founding Members of the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC), CGCC is devoted to building an economic network for Chinese entrepreneurs all over the world through active participation in the biannual WCEC. It held the 2nd WCEC in Hong Kong in 1993 and served as the Secretariat of WCEC from 2005 to 2011. Under the trend of globalisation and the eastward shift of the world’s economic gravity, CGCC is actively exploring the prospects for regional economic co-operation between Hong Kong and East Asia, while facilitating Hong Kong’s participation in multilateral economic collaboration. In 2012 and 2017, CGCC stage the “Hong Kong Summit”, which brought together ministerial-level officials, business leaders and scholars from East Asian countries, Mainland China and Hong Kong to explore the latest economic development of East Asia and discuss Hong Kong’s roles in promoting economic co-operation in the region. Overseas forums on regional co-operation were also held in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta and Paris in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Looking ahead, CGCC will continue to move with the times and fortify its network by fostering closer partnership with business organisations at home and abroad, with a view to promoting Hong Kong as a metropolis characterized by high efficiency and close ties with the global market.