HKTDC Poised to Take Hong Kong Economy to New Heights
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Hong Kong SAR Government Chief Executive Donald Tsang (centre) officiates at a cocktail reception marking the 45th anniversary of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Joining him at the hand-imprint ceremony are HKTDC Chairman Jack So (left) and HKTDC Executive Director Fred Lam (right) |
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HKTDC Chairman Jack So presents a souvenir to Chief Executive Donald Tsang (left) |
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Speaking at the cocktail reception, the Chief Executive said that the HKTDC continues to be timely and relevant in its mission to serve the city's small and medium-size enterprises |
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HKTDC Chairman Jack So told some 1,500 business and government leaders that the HKTDC would help drive Hong Kong’s economy into a prosperous new era |
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HKTDC Executive Director Fred Lam (second from left) proposes a toast at the cocktail reception. Joining him are the Chief Executive, HKTDC Chairman Jack So, former Chairman Peter Woo and Council members |
20 September 2011 – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will help drive Hong Kong’s economy into a prosperous new era, HKTDC Chairman Jack So told a cocktail reception today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The reception, which marked the HKTDC’s 45th anniversary, attracted some 1,500 business and government leaders. It was officiated by Hong Kong SAR Government Chief Executive Donald Tsang.
Mr So said that the HKTDC has been instrumental in the transformation of Hong Kong’s economy over the past decades: “From a manufacturing centre back in the ’70s, to a re-export centre in the ’80s and ’90s, when Hong Kong began to move its factories to the Pearl River Delta, to the business services centre we are today,” he told the packed audience.
“The Council’s focus on the services sector has produced signature events such as the annual Asian Financial Forum, FILMART, Asia’s biggest entertainment industry show, the region’s leading licensing show and Inno Design Tech Expo.
“In recent years, we have also helped Hong Kong’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) tap the mainland market by building brands and moving up the value chain, creating numerous success stories,” he said.
Mr So said that the HKTDC has come a long way since 1966, when it opened its doors for business in a small office at Ocean Terminal. Back then, Hong Kong’s total trade was HK$17.7 billion; last year, it reached HK$6.5 trillion. The HKTDC also pioneered the development of Hong Kong’s exhibition industry, from organising product displays in hotel lobbies to the many mega-trade shows it puts on at the HKTDC-built Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Nine of the 35 exhibitions organised by the Council last year were the largest of their kind in Asia, attracting more than 650,000 trade buyers from around the world.
“Our mandate has always been to help SMEs expand their businesses. SMEs are the pillars of Hong Kong’s economy, creating vast job opportunities and prosperity for Hong Kong.
“Over the past 45 years, many SMEs have grown in size and sophistication, with some of our clients becoming our advisory committee and council members. Their success is Hong Kong’s success and the HKTDC’s success,” Mr So added.
The HKTDC Chairman also expressed gratitude to stakeholders, including the Government and partner organisations, for their support.
“The HKTDC is now poised to take Hong Kong to the next stage of development, capitalising on the opportunities under the mainland’s 12th Five-year Plan and Hong Kong’s new economic role.
“It is a challenge we look forward to. With the continuing support of the Hong Kong community, I am confident that we can take the economy to new heights,” Mr So concluded.
The HKTDC has helped create numerous Hong Kong SME success stories over the past years. For more details, please visit: www.hktdc.com/tdc4u
Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Corporate Communication Department:
Joe Kainz
Tel: (852) 2584 4216
Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
About the HKTDC
A statutory body established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and service providers. With more than 40 global offices, including 11 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises trade fairs and business missions to connect companies with opportunities in Hong Kong and on the mainland, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and online. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com
Follow us on Twitter @HKTDC
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| In 1966, the HKTDC's first Chairman, Sik-nin Chau, led a product promotion to Bangkok. Visitors were attracted to the Hong Kong pavilion because of the air-conditioners inside | East Africa was an important export market for Hong Kong garment manufacturers during the 1960s and ’70s. With no dedicated venue to hold fairs, the HKTDC, in 1967, converted a container truck into a mobile exhibition booth and promoted local products across Africa |
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| The first issue of Hong Kong Enterprise, the flagship publication of the HKTDC, was published in October 1967. Hong Kong Toys, another HKTDC publication, later became the thickest magazine in the world, setting a Guinness World Record | The container truck used in Africa also served as a showroom for Hong Kong-manufactured toys at a car park during the 1968 Nuremberg Toys Fair. That became the first overseas promotion for Hong Kong’s manufacturers |
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| In 1996, the Hong Kong Government appointed the HKTDC to promote the services industry | In 2000, tdctrade.com was launched by then Chairman Victor Fung, Executive Director Michael Sze and Deputy Executive Director Anna Lai. Now www.hktdc.com, the online marketplace serves more than one million registered buyers |
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| Following China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, the HKTDC launched a series of programmes to help Hong Kong companies find new opportunities on the mainland | In 2003, the economic climate in Hong Kong was overshadowed by the SARS virus. The HKTDC and Hong Kong SMEs faced the challenges together and overcame the crisis |
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| The first HKTDC Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) was inaugurated in 1997 to promote Hong Kong’s entertainment industry | The Asian Financial Forum, organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the HKTDC, attracts business and financial leaders from all over the world, underlining Hong Kong's role as a global financial centre |
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| The HKTDC is focused on helping Hong Kong companies move up the value chain. Since the first Style Hong Kong Show in Hangzhou, in 2007, the shows have attracted millions of mainland consumers | In 2008, the HKTDC launched the HK$120 million SME Assistance Package to help small and medium-sized businesses find new opportunities amid the financial crisis |
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| The city’s first dedicated exhibition venue, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, opened in 1988. Two extensions have since been completed, making HKCEC a world-class venue with a 66,000sqm exhibition space and bringing substantial benefits to Hong Kong |
The HKTDC SME Centre, which opened in 2010, provides support to Hong Kong start-up companies |