2002 - 2006

With the assistance of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council of the PRC, the Better Hong Kong Foundation organized a visit to Qinghai and Tibet with Heads and senior executives of local media.  Dr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of the Foundation and Mr. CY Leung, Convenor of the HKSAR Executive Council also took part.  Dr. Roy Chung, Council Member of the Foundation, led the group to the newly constructed Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and had meetings with senior officials of Qinghai Municipal Government and the Tibet Autonomous Region of the PRC.  Members of the tour all found the visit a fruitful and enjoyable one.  On seeing the success of the trip, Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Foundation and the Deputy Leader of the Delegation, has pledged to continue to organise trips like this to stay on top of the latest developments on the Mainland, while enhancing the understanding and communication between the media and members of the Foundation. Meeting with Vice Governor of Tibet Autonomous Region of PRC Group Photo at Potala Palace

The Better Hong Kong Foundation organized a high-level delegation to the United States, which included Miss Elsie Leung, former Secretary for Justice, Miss Winnie Ng; Executive Director, Kowloon Motor Bus; Professor James Tang, Dean of Social Sciences Faculty of the University of Hong Kong, and a Visiting Fellow at the US Brookings Institute; Mr. Alex Reyes, Senior Political Commentator & a then Visiting Fellow at Columbia University; Mr. George Yuen, the Chief Executive of the Foundation, and Miss Karen Tang, the Foundation’s Executive Director elect. During the visit, the delegates presented the U.S. administration, congressmen, business leaders, academia, think tanks and media with the latest on the political and economic situation in Hong Kong, its investment outlook and constitutional development. U.S. participants included representatives from the State Department, the Commerce Department, the Senate and the House, and their Staffers. Furthermore, discussions were held with the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Brookings Institute and the Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS) respectively. Delegates also met with the top management of leading U.S. corporations, among them Citibank, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and the internationally recognised rating agency, Standards & Poor’s. The delegates attended forums. at four top U.S. universities – including Harvard, Tufts, Stanford and UC Berkeley – where Miss Elsie Leung outlined the importance of rule of law as the core value for the HKSAR under the ‘One Country, Two Systems.’ principle. She also covered other topics such as intellectual property rights (IPR), CEPA and constitutional development. Our delegation with Mr. Stephen S. Roach, Chief Economist and Director of Global Economic Analysis of Morgan Stanley (Fourth from right) Our principal delegate, former Secretary for Justice, HKSAR, Ms. Elsie Leung was invited to speak at Stanford University

A delegation visit to the U.S., led by Mr. George Yuen, Chief Executive of the Better Hong Kong Foundation, included leading members from Hong Kong’s government and public bodies, such as Mr. Thomas Woo, Council Member of the Better Hong Kong Foundation; Mr. Daniel R Fung, Chairman of East-West Strategic Development Commission; Ms. Sarah Monks, Director of Communication, Hong Kong Trade Development Council; Ms. Pricilla Law from Invest Hong Kong, as well as representatives from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York, and the Pacific Basic Economic Council (PBEC), an international organisation whose headquarters is in Hong Kong. The visit included over twenty-five high-level meetings in New York City and Washington, DC, with influential American audiences, including senior representatives from both the U.S. Administration and Congress; leading financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Standard & Poor’s, HSBC USA, Citigroup Inc., and New York Stock Exchange; prominent think tanks including Asia Society, Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, National Committee on U.S.–China Relations, and mainstream media, like Forbes, Fortune Magazine and The Washington Post. The delegation had meetings with The Asia Society and the Guggenheim Museum, organisations which were interested in Hong Kong’s cultural development. The delegation also met with the Chinese Ambassador to the Unites States, Mr. Yang Jiechi, who especially wished to convey his best regards to the people of Hong Kong. The main purpose of the visit was to provide an annual update to American opinion leaders and interested parties on Hong Kong’s latest socio-political situation, economic outlook, and other issues of mutual interest. The delegation, in particular, highlighted two upcoming events, the Grand Opening of Disneyland and the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting, which they believed would put Hong Kong in the international spotlight. The delegation also briefed the American participants on various aspects of Hong Kong developments, like constitutional development, educational reform, cultural development projects and environmental protection. Mr. Daniel R Fung, as the Chairman of the Broadcasting Authority, noted that Hong Kong was well positioned to be a regional broadcasting hub. Meeting with Cato Insitute Visit to New York Stock Exchange

The Better Hong Kong Foundation and the U.S.-Asia Institute organized a visit by a Congressional Staff Delegation from 19 to 21 August, 2002 – the 50th to China and the 20th to Hong Kong. Since its inception in 1995, the Foundation has worked closely with the U.S. – Asia Institute in promoting a better understanding between the U.S. and the Hong Kong SAR. The delegation visit to Hong Kong was an important event for the U.S. – Asia Institute and also demonstrated the strong partnership between the two organizations. The delegation had been in China from August 12- 18, 2002 before arriving in Hong Kong. During their visit, meetings were scheduled with key members of the SAR Government and business leaders. The Congressional Delegation included 10 high-ranking Congress and Senate staff. Through sharing their personal observations and experiences, they hoped to foster a greater understanding of China and Hong Kong, through discussions and meetings with key HKSAR policy makers and members of the business community. The delegation also examined Hong Kong’s “one country two system” mode of administration in respect to the rule of law, freedom of the press, clean government, and an efficient and effective open market. They also took time to meet people and visit places on their own, so as to have a first-hand experience of the way and quality of life in Hong Kong. Meeting with Trustee Dr. Ronnie Chan (the middle) Meeting with Hong Kong Secretary for Justice, Ms. Elsie Leung (third from left)