The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs Rita Lau, started her itinerary in France on March 4 (French time) to see how Hong Kong can learn from the French experience in promoting creative industries.
Mrs Lau had a meeting with the Minister of State responsible for foreign trade, Madam Anne-Marie Idrac, to exchange views on policies to facilitate the development of creative industries, and the need for global trade players to guard against protectionism amid the current economic downturn. During the meeting, Mrs Lau reiterated Hong Kong's on-going support of free trade. She encouraged more French companies to take advantage of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), the free-trade pact between Hong Kong and China, which offers unrivalled opportunities for businesses to establish or further their presence on the Mainland.
She visited Alstom to learn about the company's successful experience in integrating design and styling with high technology in the production of transport systems. She learned that close teamwork between designers and engineers could add value for customers in terms of image-building and passenger comfort.
France is the 2009 partner country for Hong Kong's Business of Design Week (BODW). Mrs Lau took the opportunity to visit the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and the Centre Georges Pompidou to explore opportunities for collaboration and promote further exchanges.
Thursday, March 5, 2009