Speech by USCED at HK Reception of Frankfurt Book Fair (English only)

Following is a speech by the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the Hong Kong reception of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2009 yesterday (October 15, Frankfurt time) (English only):

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It really gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the reception of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2009.

It is a great pleasure for Hong Kong to participate in this book fair, joining this literacy carnival to present our publishing achievements to the world, in particular when Mainland China is the guest of honour of this year's event.

As I survey all the exhibits in this great fair, I ask myself a question: what is the essence of creativity? I suggest that answer lies in life itself. In this pavilion you can survey the different books that we have sampled for you, the books representing the exciting life in Hong Kong and what this life is about.

There are three key messages which we want you to have before leaving this pavilion. They are our passion for creative culture, the vibrancy of our publishing and printing industries, as well as our enthusiasm towards the development of cosmopolitan culture.

The main focus at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year is Creative Content, and it is no coincidence that we have a section on creative culture in our pavilion. In Hong Kong, creative industries are among the top of our priority list, being identified as one of the major economic areas in which Hong Kong possesses a competitive edge, and which has  great potential to develop. We have a critical mass of creative talent to serve as the growth engine for our economy, and the Government is fully committed to building Hong Kong into a regional creative capital.

As regards publishing and printing, a crucial sector of our creative industries, Hong Kong has been a popular spot for international companies, especially regional headquarters, to settle. One may ask, why do the regional headquarters want to set up their offices in Hong Kong? And I would suggest to you that it is attributable to the various core advantages of Hong Kong, including our excellent communications network, the rule of law including our protection of copyright, freedom of expression and a liberal attitude towards the media.

As for Cosmopolitan Culture as you see here in our exhibit, we  endeavour to develop Hong Kong into an international cultural metropolis, as reflected not only by our cultural policy which embraces cultural diversity and encourages community participation, but also our commitment to cultural infrastructure. We will embark on a major exercise to develop a harbourfront prime site in Hong Kong into a mega cultural district, called the West Kowloon Cultural District, which features prominently in our exhibition at this pavilion.

I hope that as you walk around this exhibit, you will have a taste of Hong Kong, the exciting life which we know and live, and embark on a journey of discovery which we have prepared for you. I hope you will enjoy all the exhibits. Thank you.

Friday, October 16, 2009

USCED and PSHA at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2009 The photo shows the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So (third from right), and the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Carrie Yau (second right), proposing a toast at the Hong Kong reception held by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2009.