Hong Kong, New Zealand wrap up negotiations

Hong Kong and New Zealand have concluded negotiations on a Hong Kong and New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEP Agreement).  Both sides will proceed to the legal verification and domestic approval processes, with the target of formally signing the agreement in the first half of 2010.

With the conclusion of the CEP negotiations, bilateral trade relations between Hong Kong, mainland China and New Zealand have taken a further significant step. The comprehensive agreement signals the strong support for open markets and trade liberalization. Both economies made a joint commitment to advance the CEP talks in April at the Boao Forum.

New Zealand is an important trading partner of Hong Kong in the Asia Pacific region.  As a services-oriented economy, Hong Kong particularly will benefit from services liberalization measures under the agreement.  The agreement will provide Hong Kong exporters with enhanced market access to the New Zealand market, promote investment flows and bring about multiple benefits to both economies.
Bilateral trade between Hong Kong and New Zealand has been growing steadily for years.  Total bilateral merchandise trade amounted to about US$961.5 million in 2008.  The average annual growth rate in bilateral merchandise trade was 7% from 2004 to 2008. Total bilateral trade in services amounted to more than US$384.6 million in 2007.  The average annual growth rate for total trade in services from 2003 to 2007 was about 11%.

MTR Chairman reappointed

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced the re-appointment of Dr. Raymond Ch’ien Kuo Fung as chairman of the MTR Corporation .
The new term is effective December 2, 2009 to December 31, 2012. Dr. Ch'ien was first appointed as the chairman of the corporation on July 21, 2003.

Wu Guanzhong donates 33 more paintings

Internationally acclaimed master of painting Wu Guanzhong has offered Hong Kong another generous donation of 33 paintings, announced Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing. The donation will become a significant permanent collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

To provide an opportunity for the community to appreciate Mr. Wu’s work, the Museum of Art will hold an exhibition in March to showcase the latest donation along with its existing collection of Wu’s works.

Mr. Tsang said this was Wu’s third donation, showing his deep affection for Hong Kong. This donation is mainly a selection of Wu’s works from 2005 to 2009, comprising 12 oil paintings and 21 ink works. Together with the previous donations, the artworks   illustrate his artistic development and achievements.

A significant figure in Chinese art history in the 20th century, Mr. Wu has made a great contribution to the practice of integrating Chinese and Western art. He was born in 1919 in Yixing, Jiangsu. In 1946, he was selected as the most outstanding candidate for government-funded fine arts studies in Paris. In 1950, he returned to China and was assigned to teach at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and later transferred to other institutions. In 1991, he was granted the Officer de L'Ordre des Arts et des Letters by the Ministry of Culture of France. In 1992, the British Museum organized “Wu Guanzhong: A Twentieth Century Chinese Painter,” the first time the museum presented an exhibition of work by a living Chinese artist. In 2002, he was the first Chinese artist selected for the Medaille des Arts et Lettres by the Academie des Beaux-Arts de L'Institut de France. In 2006, he donated his representative oil painting "Along the Yangtze River 1974” to the Palace Museum–the first time the museum had collected the work of a living artist. In the same year, the Chinese University of Hong Kong granted an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters to Mr. Wu.

World Intellectual Property Organization holds symposium in Hong Kong

The “World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Regional Symposium on Management of Intellectual Capital, Intellectual Assets and Intellectual Property” opened in Hong Kong on October 29.

The two-day symposium is organized by the WIPO and the mainline China government, and hosted by the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Hong Kong Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce, Industry and Tourism), Yvonne Choi, said, “We see merits for enterprises in the region to adopt the Intellectual Capital Management (ICM) concept and systematically take stock of their intellectual capital. To this end, the Intellectual Property Department, together with the Innovation and Technology Commission and the Trade and Industry Department, launched an ICM Consultancy Program in March to help enterprises maximize their business potential and compete more effectively in the global market.

“With a better idea of their asset portfolio, enterprises are better positioned to devise their strategy for creating value,” she said.

The symposium was attended by more than 200 participants, including government officials, academics, representatives from intellectual property-related organizations and small-and-medium-enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region as well as senior representatives from the intellectual property offices of 19 countries. Guest speakers comprise experts from the Mainland, the United States, Australia, Holland, Hong Kong, Japan, Liechtenstein, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom and WIPO.

WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest. Details of the symposium can be found on the Web site: [www.ipd.gov.hk].

Trio appointed to Airport Authority

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced the appointment of three new members to the Airport Authority for a three-year term, effective January 1, 2010. The three new members are Chan Kam-lam, Albert Ho Chun-yan and Allan Wong Chi-yun.

Mr. Chan and Mr. Ho are both experienced Legislative Council members, with rich experience in community work, while Mr. Wong is a major manufacturer of electronic products in the Pearl River Delta and is a member of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council.