2006 - 2010

The Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu and Council Member Mr. Albert Ip met with Ambassador Noor during his visit in Hong Kong.

The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with Mr. Lechervy during his visit in Hong Kong.

The Foundation’s Council Members Ms. Winnie Ng, Ms. Judy Yu, Mr. Joseph Yu and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang together with guests Prof. Victor Sit, Director and Chair Professor of Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Prof. Zhao Xinshu, Dean of School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, met with Prof. Montbrial during his visit in Hong Kong.

The Foundation’s Council Members Mr. David Fong, Mr. Albert Ip and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang together with guests Mr. K C Kwok, Former Government Economist for the HKSAR Government and Honorary Senior Research Fellow of School of Economics & Finance, University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Yifan Hu, Managing Director/Chief Economist of CITIC Securities International met with Assistant Secretary Lago during her visit in Hong Kong. Meeting with U.S. Treasury’s Assistant Secretary Ms. Marisa Lago (4th left)

Every year after the delivery of Policy Address, the Chief Executive attends the joint business community luncheon where he talks to the Hong Kong business community and elaborates his policy address as well as the initiatives put forth by the HKSAR Government in the year ahead. On 3 November 2010, the Foundation’s Trustees Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Mr. W F Leung and Dr. Sumet Jiaravanon’s representative Ms. Li Xuhua; Council Members Mr. Thomas Woo, Ms. Winnie Ng, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. Tony Choi, Mr. Albert Ip, Mr. Philip Ma and Ms. Diana Chou; and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang joined the luncheon. Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu (left) and Mr. Philip Ma (L to R) Mr. Joseph Yu, Ms. Diana Chou and Ms. Winnie Ng

Please refer to the Chinese report. The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. Peter Lam (L) welcomes Ambassador Song Zhe (R) on behalf of the Foundation (L to R)Ms. Li Xuhua, Mr. Albert Ip, Mr. Thomas Woo, Mr. Philip Ma, Dr. Gerald Chow, Ambassador Song Zhe, Ms. Winnie Ng, Mr. Peter Lam, Mr. Joseph Yu, Dr. Roy Chung, Ms. Karen Tang and Mr. Wang Xining

The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung and Mr. Lau Ming-wai and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with Mr. Lau during his visit in Hong Kong.

The Foundation, together with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, organized the forum on “Economic and Development Cooperation between Hong Kong and Shanghai after the World Expo” on 21 October 2010 in Shanghai, to further promote collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai. It was the fourth forum that is jointly organized every year by the three organizations. It was supported by the Shanghai International Economic Exchange Foundation. Around 80 experts, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and the Mainland attended the forum. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan; Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu; Council Members Dr. Roy Chung, Mr. Thomas Woo, Dr. Gerald Chow, Mr. Joseph Yu and Mr. Philip Ma; Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang and Communications Manager Ms. Jimmie Chow also attended the forum. (L to R) Prof. Victor Sit, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. Philip Ma, Mr. Ling Kar-kan, Mr. Ronnie Chan, Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Dr. Roy Chung, Ms. Karen Tang, Mr. Thomas Woo and Mr. Kenji Gyoten The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan giving an opening remarks Guests at the Opening Ceremony: Prof. Zuo Xuejin (2nd left), Mr. Ronnie Chan (3rd left), Mr. Li Liangyuan (middle) and Ms. Karen Tang (1st right)

Please refer to the Chinese report. The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. W F Leung (L) and Ambassador Zhang Qiyue (R) (L to R) Mr. Lin Tao, Ms. Chen Xiaoling, Dr. Roy Chung, Mr. W F Leung, Ambassador Zhang Qiyue, Mr. Philip Ma, Mr. Joseph Yu, Ms. Li Xuhua, Ms. Karen Tang and Mr. Song Ronghua

The 9th International Forum on Urban Competitiveness (“The Forum”) was successfully held from 24 – 25 June 2010 in Nanjing Purple Palace. Initiated by the Global Urban Competitiveness Project Team (GUCP), this year’s Forum was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Nanjing Municipal People’s Government and supported by the Better Hong Kong Foundation (“Foundation”). The theme of this year’s Forum is “Technological Innovation: Enhance Urban Competitiveness”. Around 60 experts and scholars from China and overseas as well as senior officials from local governments have attended the Forum and exchanged their views. Mr. Ronnie Chan, Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation and the Chairman of Hang Lung Properties Ltd chaired the roundtable discussion between leaders of best performing cities during which deputy mayors or senior officials from Guangzhou, Qingdao, Ningbo, Suzhou, Nanchang, Hefei, Nantong and Nanjing gathered to share their valuable experience on the planning of urban development. As the supporting organization, the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang was invited as one of the officiating guests at the opening and closing ceremony of the Forum. The Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, and Council Members Mr. Thomas Woo and Mr. Albert Ip also attended the Forum. By the invitation of the Foundation, Mr. Chiu Liang Ching (Columnist of Ming Pao Weekly Magazine), Ms. Chloe Lai (Guangzhou Correspondent of South China Morning Post) and Mr. Simon Cox (Asia Economics Editor of The Economist) joined the Foundation’s delegation to Nanjing. The sharing of experts and scholars in the theme discussion session on enhancing urban competitiveness by scientific and technological innovation was most insightful and fruitful. The launching ceremony for the English edition of Global Urban Competitiveness Report by Prof. Ni Pengfei, the General Secretary of the GUCP and the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2009-2010) were also the highlights of the Forum. Scholars from Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, UK, US as well as China Mainland have shared their studies and research results on urban competitiveness with participants of the Forum. To welcome the delegates and to let them know more about the history of the city, the Nanjing Government arranged a tour to Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Ming City Walls. Since the inception of the Forum in 2004, this annual Forum has been successfully staged in Tsingtao, Ottawa, Chengdu, Seoul, Yangzhou, Mexico, Philadelphia and Naples respectively. The Foundation would like to congratulate the CASS and Nanjing Government for the success of this year’s Forum. Please click here to download the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2009 – 2010) and the individual Urban Competitiveness Report of Brazil, Canada, China Mainland, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, UK and US as well as the ranking of  2009-2010 Urban Comprehensive Competitiveness. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan (5th left) taking a photo with leaders of the best performing cities after the rountable discussion, together with the Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu (2nd left), Council Members Mr. Albert Ip (1st left) and Mr. Thomas Woo (1st right) and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang (2nd right)

On 26 April 2010, the Foundation sponsored the Keynote Dinner Address of the International Media Conference where Dr. Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, addressed to over 300 journalists and media experts from Asia, the Pacific and the U.S. who were participating in the conference from 25 – 28 April 2010 in Hong Kong. List of participants from the Foundation included Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan; Trustees Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu and Mr. W F Leung; Council Members Dr. Gerald Chow, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. Albert Ip and Mr. Philip Ma; Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang; and invited guests Prof. Clement So and Prof. Joseph Chan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Prof. James Tang of the University of Hong Kong; Mr. Thomas Easton, Asia Business Editor of The Economist; and Mr. Chris Yeung, News Director of the Hong Kong Economic Journal. Dr. Kurt Campbell giving his speech entitled “American Engagement & Asia” The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan welcomes the journalists and media experts from overseas The Foundation’s members and guests joining the dinner: (L to R) Mr. Qiu Liben, Ms. Karen Tang, Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Mr. W F Leung, Dr. Gerald Chow, Mr. Philip Ma, Prof. Clement So, Mr. Albert Ip and Mr. Joseph Chan

In March, Mr. Ma Zhaoxu, Spokesman and Director-General of the Information Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Hong Kong. On 19 March 2010, the Foundation hosted a dinner for Mr. Ma where experts and scholars in the public relations field of Hong Kong were specially invited to join and exchange views with Mr. Ma on the public diplomacy policy of China. List of participants: Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Mr. Ma Zhaoxu, Spokesman and Director-General, Information Department – Mr. Song Ronghua, Spokesman, Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR – Mr. Zhang Xianghua, Vice Director, Information Department – Ms. Zhang Han, Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR The Better Hong Kong Foundation – Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director – Ms. Jimmie Chow, Communications Manager Senior communications and PR professionals of Hong Kong – Mr. Jeremy Lau, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications Group Corporate Affairs, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd – Ms. Maisie Shun Wah, General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Swire Pacific Ltd  – Mr. C F Kwan, Director, Corporate Affairs, New World Development Co Ltd – Ms. Margaret Ng, Director of Corporate Communications, Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd – Mr. C K Yeung, General Manager Corporate Communication, Cathy Pacific Airways Ltd – Mr. B C Lo, Vice President, Public Affairs, Hong Kong Disneyland – Ms. Heidi Kwan, Chairman, AsiaNet Communications Ltd – Mr. Spencer Chan, Senior Consultant/Partner, AsiaNet Communications Ltd – Mr. K Y Cheung, Principle Media Advisor, Chinese Communications (HK) Co – Ms. Katherine Ma, Director of Communications, External Relations Office, The University of Hong Kong – Dr. James Tang, Faculty of Social Sciences. The University of Hong Kong – Prof. Zhao Xinshu, Chair & Dean, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University Mr. Ma Zhaoxu (front row, middle) meeting with senior communications and PR professionals of Hong Kong

The Honourable John Tsang, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, delivered the 2010-2011 Budget Speech on 24 February 2010. On 12 March 2010, the Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan together with Council Members Mr. Thomas Woo, Ms. Winnie Ng, Mr. Albert Ip and Mr. Lau Ming-wai; Ms. Li Xuhua and Mr. Bill Mok, representatives of Trustees Dr. Sumet Jiaravanon and Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu respectively; and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang joined the luncheon and exchange views on the budget.   The Foundation joins the luncheon on Budget Speech every year (L to R) Ms. Karen Tang, Ms. Li Xuhua and Mr. Albert Ip (L to R) Mr. Lau Ming-wai, Ms. Luisa Tam and Ms. Judy Yu

On 10 March 2010, the Better Hong Kong Foundation hosted a luncheon for about a hundred American Fulbright scholars and students who were attending the Fulbright China Research Forum 2010 in Hong Kong during 9 – 12 March 2009. Organized by the Hong Kong America Center, the Forum was an annual meeting of American Fulbright research scholars who were conducting research in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Forum was sponsored by the Fulbright Program in China, the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange in Taiwan and U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, and supported by 8 local universities. The Foundation’s Council Members Mr. Thomas Woo and Mr. Albert Ip and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang together with invited guests Mr. Archie Tsim, Chief Financial Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd and Mr. Patrick Wong, Partner Corporate & Commercial of Johnson Stokes & Master as well as friends from the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong and Roundtable Institute & Network joined the luncheon to exchange views about the development of China and Hong Kong with the scholars. At the luncheon, invited speaker Mr. K C Kwok gave a speech on the overview of the economic developments in Hong Kong. Representative of the scholars thanking the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang for hosting the luncheon Mr. K C Kwok giving an overview of Hong Kong’s economic developments to the Fulbright scholars Mr. Archie Tsim sharing his views with the scholars Over a hundred of American Fulbright scholars and students attending the luncheon

At the beginning of each Chinese New Year, the Better Hong Kong Foundation always organizes a Spring Luncheon for the Foundation’s members, Consuls General and Chairmen of international chambers of commerce in Hong Kong.  This year’s luncheon was successfully held on 8 March 2010. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan together with the Foundation’s members hosted the luncheon for over 40 guests. This year, the Foundation is honoured to have invited Mr. C H Tung, Vice Chairman of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and First Former Chief Executive of HKSAR to address at the luncheon. The 3rd plenary session of the 11th CPPCC is being taken place in Beijing. Mr. Tung gave a brief account on the philosophy and emphasis of the work report given by the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the Opening. In response to questions raised by participants, Mr Tung also shared his views on the Copenhagen conference, the China-U.S. relations, the European Union’s role; freedom of press in China, the “Hukou” system in China, the changing role of Hong Kong etc. Participants include: The Better Hong Kong Foundation Trustees 1. Mr. Ronnie Chan                 Chairman, Hang Lung Properties Ltd 2. Mr. W F Leung                   Group Managing Director, Lam Soon (Hong Kong) Ltd 3. Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu    Chief Executive Officer, Far East Consortium International Ltd Council Members 4. Mr. Oscar Chow                 Executive Director, Chevalier International Holdings Ltd 5. Dr. Roy Chung                    Vice Chairman & Executive Director, Techtronic Industries Co Ltd 6. Mr. Thomas Woo                Executive Managing Director & General Manager, Hsin Kuang Restaurant (Holdings) Ltd 7. Dato’ Dr. S J Wong             Founder, SBI E2-Capital Asia Ltd 8. Ms. Winnie Ng                    Director, The Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd 9. Dr. Gerald Chow                 Executive Director, Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd 10. Ms. Judy Yu                      President, Carsac Ltd 11. Mr. Joseph Yu                  Chairman, Roseville Group of Companies 12. Mr. Albert Ip                     Managing Director of Investments, Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd 13. Mr. Lau Ming Wai             Director, Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang                       Executive Director, The Better Hong Kong Foundation Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR 1. Mr. Yang Zigang                  Deputy Commissioner 2. Mr. Song Ronghua               Spokesman Consulate General in Hong Kong 1. Mr. Les Luck                             Consul General, Australian Consulate General 2. Mr. Michel Malherbe                 Consul General, Consulate General of Belgium 3. Mr. Andrew Seaton                   Consul General, British Consulate General 4. Ms. Doreen Steidle                    Consul General, Consulate General of Canada 5. Mr. Jaroslav Kanturek               Consul General, Consulate General of the Czech Republic 6. Mr. Jorgen Mollegaard               Consul General, Royal Danish Consulate General 7. Mr. Jean-Claude Bernard           French Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of France 8. Mr. Frank Burbach                    Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany 9. Mr. L D Ralte                             Consul General, Consulate General of India 10. Mr. Luca Fraticelli                    Consul, Consulate General of Italy 11. Mr. Shigekazu Sato                  Consul General, Consulate-General of Japan 12. Mr. Mohammad Al-Amiri         Vice Consul, Consulate General of Kuwait 13. Mr. Cheong Loon-Lai               Consul General, Consulate General of Malaysia 14. Mr. Robert Schuddeboom         Consul General, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 15. Ms. Adele Bryant                      Consul General, New Zealand Consulate General 16. Mr. Przemyslaw M. Jenke         Acting Consul General, Consulate General of Republic of Poland 17. Mr. Manuel Carvalho                Consul General, Consulate General of Portugal 18. Mr. Hans J Roth                        Consul General, Consulate General of Switzerland 19. Mr. Jitti Suwannik                      Consul General, Royal Thai Consulate General 20. Mr. Mehmet Raif Karaca           Consul General, Consulate General of Turkey 21. Mr. Christopher Marut               Acting Consul General, US Consulate General 22. Mrs. Maria Castillo Fernandez   Head of Office, European Union International Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong 1. Lord Edwin Hitti                    President & CEO, The Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry 2. Mr. Clement Chan                 Chairman, Australian Chamber of Commerce 3. Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen              Chairman, Danish Chamber of Commerce 4. Mr. David Ogilvie                  Programme Director, European Chamber of Commerce 5. Mr. Nicholas Borit                 President, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry 6. Ms. Maryse Kraatz                Executive Director, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry 7. Mr. Santha Ram                     Executive Director, Indian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong 8. Mr. Rafael Aharoni                Chairman, Israeli Chamber of Commerce 9. Mr. Rhee Byung Wook          Chairman, Korean Chamber of Commerce 10. Mr. David Whitwam            Chairman, New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong 11. Dr. Derek Anthony              Board of Director, Norwegian Chamber of Commerce 12. Mr. Vincent Chow               Honorary Executive Director, Singapore Chamber of Commerce 13. Mr. Serge Fafalen                President, Swiss Chamber of Commerce Local Chamber of Commerce 1. Mr. Andrew Brandler            Chairman, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce Mr. C H Tung’s Office 1. Ms. Clarie Lo                       CEO, The China-United States Exchange Foundation 2. Ms. Vivien Tam                    Senior Personal Assistant, Mr. C H Tung’s Office The Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu (middle) and Mr. Shigekazu Sato (CG of Japan)(right) and Mr. Cheong Loon Lai (CG of Malaysia) The Foundation Trustee Mr. W F Leung (middle) and Mrs. Maria Castillo Fernandez (Head of Office, EU) and Mr. Jorgen Mollegaard (CG of Denmark) The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ Dr. S J Wong (middle) and Mr. Jaroslav Kanturek (CG of Czech Republic) (left) and Mr. Robert Schuddeboom (CG of Netherlands) The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Judy Yu and Mr. Derek Anthony (Norwegian Chamber) (left) and Mr. Manuel Carvalho (CG od Portugal) The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Gerald Chow (middle) and Mr. Mehmet Raif Karaca (CG of Turkey) and Mr. Mohammad Al-Amiri (Vice Consul of Kuwait) The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Oscar Chow (R) and Mr. L D Ralte (CG of India) The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Lau Ming Wai (middle) and Mr.Andrew Seaton (CG of UK) (right) and Mr. Frank Burbach (CG of Germany) The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng and Lord Edwin Hitti (Arab Chamber) The Foundation’s Council Members Mr. Albert Ip (left) and Dr. Gerald Chow (right) and Mr. Rafael Aharoni (Israeli Chamber) The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan giving a welcoming remark Mr. C H Tung sharing his views on the developments of China Over 50 guests joining the luncheon The Foundation’s Trustees Mr. Ronnie Chan (1st left), Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu (2nd right) and Mr. W F Leung(1st right) thanking Mr. C H Tung for sharing his wisdom with the Foundation’s members and guests

The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan, Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Council Member Dr. Roy Chung; and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with Prof. Zhu during his visit to Hong Kong.

The Foundation’s Council Members Ms. Winnie Ng and Ms. Judy Yu; Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang and Managing Partner of Omaha Capital China Mr. Charlie Shi met with Mr. Rodier during his visit to Hong Kong.

Hosted by the Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan, Prof. Timothy Tong, President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University attend the Foundation’s luncheon on 14 January 2010. Prof. Tong shared with the Foundation’s members his vision of the future development of PolyU as well as the collaboration between the university and the community at the luncheon where he also exchanged views with the Foundation’s members so as to strengthen mutual understanding. Vice President (Marketing, Internationalisation and Advanced Executive Development) designate Prof. Judy Tsui, Director of Partnership Development Mr. Andrew Young and Director of Chinese Mainland Affairs Dr. Laura Lo of the PolyU as well as Executive Director of Li & Fung Ltd Mr. Spencer Fung also attended the luncheon. The Foundation’s members attending the luncheon included: – Mr. Ronnie Chan     Executive Committee Chairman / Chairman, Hang Lung Group Ltd – Mr. Peter Lam         Trustee / Chairman, Lai Sun Development Co Ltd – Ms. Li Xuhua           Representative of Trustee Dr. Sumet Jiaravanon / Special Assistant of Chia Tai Group – Dr. Roy Chung         Council Member / Vice Chairman & Executive Director, Techtronic Industries Co Ltd – Mr. Thomas Woo    Council Member / Executive Managing Director & General Manager, Hsin Kuang Restaurant (Holdings) Ltd – Ms. Winnie Ng        Council Member / Director, The Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd – Dr. Gerald Chow     Council Member / Executive Director, Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd – Ms. Judy Yu            Council Member / President, Carsac Ltd – Mr. Joseph Yu         Council Member / Chairman, Roseville Group – Mr. David Fong       Council Member / Deputy Managing Director, Hip Shing Hong Group of Companies – Mr. Tony Choi         Council Member / Executive Director, Hong Kong Garment Mfg Co Ltd – Mr. Albert Ip           Council Member / Managing Director of Investments, Merrill Lynch (Pacific Asia) Ltd – Ms. Margaret Ng     Council Member / Director of Corporate Communications, Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd – Ms. Karen Tang       Executive Director of the Foundation (L to R) Dr. Gerald Chow, Ms. Judy Yu, Prof. Timothy Tong (PolyU President), Mr. Ronnie Chan, Mr. Peter Lam, Mr. Spencer Fung and Mr. Albert Ip Fruitful discussions were made at the luncheon Prof. Timothy Tong sharing his vision on the development of Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan, Council Members Dr. Roy Chung, Ms. Winnie Ng and Mr. Albert Ip together with Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with the delegates from the Global Interdependence Center during their visit to Hong Kong. Discussion with delegates from GIC

The Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Roy Chung, Dato’ Dr. S J Wong, Mr. Tony Choi and Mr. Albert Ip together with Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with Mr. Goh Joon Seng during his visit to Hong Kong.

The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan, Council Members Dato’ Dr. S J Wong, Ms. Winnie Ng, Dr. Gerald Chow, Mr. Joseph Yu and Mr. Albert Ip together with Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with Mr. Mark Medish during his visit to Hong Kong. Meeting with Mr. Mark Medish (1st row, middle)

The Honourable Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the HKSAR Government, delivered his policy address to the Legislative Council in October 2009. On 2 November 2009, members and guests of the Better Hong Kong Foundation attended the Joint Business Community Luncheon where Mr. Tsang talked to the Hong Kong business community and elaborated his policy address as well as the initiatives put forth by the HKSAR Government in the year ahead. They were Trustee Tri Sri Dato’ David Chiu and Dr. Sumet Jiaravanon’s representative Ms. Li Xuhua; Council Members Mr. Thomas Woo, Dato’ Dr. S J Wong, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. Tony Choi and Mr. Albert Ip; Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang; and guests Mr. Bunny Chan and Prof. Richard Wong. (Front row, L to R) Mr. Joseph Yu, Prof. Richard Wong, Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu and Mr. Bunny Chan (Back row, L to R) Ms. Karen Tang, Mr. Kim Mak, Dato’ Dr. S J Wong, Mr. Albert Ip, Dr. Roy Chung, Mr. Tony Choi, Mr. Thomas Woo and Ms. Li Xuhua

By the invitation of Mr. Thomas Dycus, the Foundation’s Council Members Dato’ Dr. S J Wong, Ms. Winnie Ng, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. Tony Choi and Mr. Albert Ip together with the Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang met with him and exchanged views on the prospects of American economy. Meeting with Mr. Thomas Dycus (middle)

In the wake of the global financial crisis and the increasing opportunity arose from the internationalization of Renminbi, the Better Hong Kong Foundation (the Foundation), Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) and Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (SCPPC) jointly organized the Forum on “Hong Kong and Shanghai: Collaborative Development of International Trade Center and the Internationalization of Renminbi” on 21 August 2009 in Shanghai, to promote further collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai and specifically on international trade. It was the third forum that jointly organized every year by the three organizations. It was supported by Shanghai International Economic Exchange Foundation. Around 200 experts, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and the Mainland attended the Forum. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan together with SCPPC Chairman Mr. Feng Guoqiang and SASS President Prof. Wang Ronghua officiated at the opening of the Forum. By the invitation of the Foundation, Ms. Margaret Ko, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank delivered a keynote speech entitled “Cross-border RMB Trade Settlement and Internationalization of RMB: Role of Hong Kong”. Other keynote speakers included Mr. Sha Hailin, Deputy Secretary General of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and Chairman of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Mr. Andrew Yao, SCPPC member and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Van Shung Chong Holdings Ltd. To facilitate detail discussions, three sessions were followed. – “Impact of the global financial crisis on the international trade centers in Hong Kong and Shanghai and the tackling strategies”;– “Study of the policy structure for international trade centers and their business environment”; and – “Cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong on the promotion of the cross-border RMB trade settlement and the research of RMB internationalization”. Nine speakers were invited to share their views on the topics. They included:– Mr. Patrick Chan, Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs, Shanghai, the HKSAR Government;– Prof. Tuan Chyan and Prof. Linda Ng of Chinese University of Hong Kong;– Prof Zhang Hongming, Researcher of SASS, Councilor of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and member of CPCC– Mr. Jacky Chung, Regional Director of Eastern & Central China, HKTDC– Mr. Tse Kwok-leung, Head of Economic Research, Bank of China (Hong Kong)– Mr. Dicky Yip, Executive Vice President of Bank of Communications– Mr. T C Kwan, Executive Director & Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia (China) Ltd; and– Mr. He Liangliang, Deputy Director of Commentary Department, Phoenix TV Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Foundation and Mr. Kwok Kwok-chuen, former Government Economist and Honorary Senior Research Fellow of University of Hong Kong were the moderators. Ms. Tang also chaired the concluding session of the Forum. Dr. Zuo Xuejin, Executive Vice-President of SASS made his remarks at the concluding session, by thanking the speakers and participants for sharing their insights, which will be submitted to the authorities in formulating relevant policies in the future. After the Forum, the Foundation hosted a dinner for the organizers and speakers. PowerPoint presentations of some speakers have been uploaded onto the Foundation’s website. (L to R)Mr. Sha Hailin, Mr. Ronnie Chan, Ms. Wu Youying, Mr. Feng Guoqin, Mr. Li Liangyuan, Mr. Wang Ronghua, Mr. Chen Haigang and Ms. Gao Meiqin (L to R) Mr. Tse Kwok-leung, Ms. Karen Tang, Mr. Ronnie Chan, Mr. K C Kwok and Dr. Wang Chunxin (L to R) Mr. K C Kwok, Mr. Ronnie Chan and Mr. Andrew Yao (L to R) Mr. Sha Hailin, Ms. Margaret Ko and Mr. Ronnie Chan Keynote Speech Session: (L to R) Moderator Prof. Zuo Xuejin and the three speakers Mr. Sha Hailin, Ms. Margaret Ko and Mr. Andrew Yao Ms. Karen Tang chaired the closing ceremony while Prof. Zuo Xuejin concluded the conference

The Better Hong Kong Foundation was pleased to have Mr. Xu Lin, Director General of the Department of Fiscal and Financial Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission invited to give a luncheon speech entitled “China’s Economic Stimulus Package” on 19 May 2009. Co-hosted by the Foundation and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, the luncheon was well attended by over a hundred of guests. Before the speech, Mr. Ronnie Chan, Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation and Chairman of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center gave a warm welcome to Mr. Xu. In his presentation, Mr. Xu highlighted China’s policies on tackling the global financial crisis and the current economic situation in China.  The Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Roy Chung, Mr. Thomas Woo, Ms. Winnie Ng, Ms. Judy Yu, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. David Fong and Mr. Tony Choi, and the invited guest Managing Director of Home Swallows Ltd Mr. Frank Pak attended the event. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan giving his warmest welcome to Mr. Xu Lin Mr. Xu Lin giving the presentation on China’s Economic Stimulus Package The Foundation’s Council Members Ms. Judy Yu (1st left) and Mr. David Fong (1st right), Mr. Kenichi Sakamoto, Consul of Consulate-General of Japan (2nd left) and Ms. Patricia Chung, Economic Adviser of the European Union The Foundation’s Council Members Mr. David Fong (L) and Mr. Tony Choi (R), and Mr. Edward Leung, Chief Economist of the HKTDC (middle) Over a hundred of guests attending the luncheon Mr. Ronnie Chan thanking Mr. Xu Lin for his insightful speech

The Committee of 100’s (“C100”) conference served as a critical forum for the discussion of issues pertaining to U.S.-China relations and Chinese American progress. With a focus on the impact of China’s rising global influence, this year’s conference covered topics relevant to academic, business, and political communities around the country. The Better Hong Kong Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang also participated in the conference which was held right after the Foundation’s U.S. delegation in Washington D.C. The Foundation’s Executive Chairman and member of the C100 Mr. Ronnie Chan was the moderator of the panel entitled “Impact of the Economic Crisis on China: A View from the Ground” at the conference. Photo at the conference’s gala dinner: (L to R) Ms. Karen Tang, Mr. Ronnie Chan and Ms. Winnie Ng

The Better Hong Kong Foundation and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center jointly hosted a dinner for Ambassador Cui Tiankai, China’s Ambassador to Japan on 20 April 2009. Ambassador Cui shared with guests his views on the future of Sino-Japanese relations at the occasion. He expressed that it was important that the relationship go beyond bilateral specifics and be viewed in a global context. Hosted by Mr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of the Foundation’s Executive Committee as well as Chairman the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, the Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Roy Chung and Mr. Joseph Yu, and the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang joined the dinner. Ambassador Cui Tiankai shared his views on Sino-Japanese relations

The Press Conference of 2009 China Urban Competitiveness Report (Hong Kong) was held in Hong Kong on 15 April 2009. It is organized by The Better Hong Kong Foundation (“the Foundation”) and co-organized by Institute of Finance and Trade Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The 2009 China Urban Competitiveness Report” project is led by Prof. Pengfei Ni in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The urban competitiveness of 294 cities in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau is analyzed. The top 10 cities in overall urban competitiveness are: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Suzhou and Kaohsiung. Hong Kong also ranked the 1st in the efficiency competitiveness, development cost competitiveness and quality of life competitiveness. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms Karen Tang commented that “the competitiveness of Hong Kong is ranked the highest amongst the cities in China and 26th amongst the 500 cities in the world. Under fierce global competition and the recent global financial and economic crisis, the order of the world economy will definitely be affected. Relatively speaking, with the rapid growth of China’s economy in the recent decades and its economic structure, the impact of the global financial crisis to China is smaller. Hong Kong is an open economy which is inevitably affected by external environment. In order to continue to thrive, Hong Kong has to make use of its competitive advantage as an international business city as well as to leverage the benefit of its accessibility to the Mainland China. The government and Hong Kong community should proactively explore the opportunities arising from the Pearl River Delta Development Plan, to proactively encounter and resolve the incompatibility in developments within the region, and to adopt a new regional strategic development thinking and vision. With that, I am sure we can work out collaborations and opportunities which are beneficial to Hong Kong, the Pearl River Delta and to the nation as a whole. It is also in line with the direction of the Foundation’s work.” (Please click here to download the ppt presentation of the report) (L to R) Ms. Karen Tang (the Foundation’s Executive Director), Prof. Yue-man Yeung (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Prof. Pengfei Ni (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) and Prof. Jianfa Shen (Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, CUHK) (2nd right) Prof. Ni Pengfei giving a brief introduction of the report to the media The press conference is well attended by the media

Initiated by the Better Hong Kong Foundation (the Foundation), and joined by the Central Policy Unit of the HKSAR Government (CPU) and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), the Hong Kong Business Community Forum on the Pearl River Delta Development Plan was successfully held on 27 March 2009 at the City University of Hong Kong. More than 180 professionals from various business fields attended the Forum. The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA) and City University of Hong Kong (CityU) were the co-organizers and the media partner was the Hong Kong Economic Times. In January 2009, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released “The Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2020)” (the Outline). The Hong Kong business community has been intimately involved in the development of the Pearl River Delta region for years. Noting the importance of the implementation of the Outline on the future development of Hong Kong, the Foundation in collaboration with the CPU, FHKI and CMA organized the forum where members of Hong Kong business community could share and exchange their views and experiences, to explore opportunities as well as to meet challenges that arise ahead. The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. W F Leung; the CPU’s Head Prof. Lau Siu-kai; the FHKI’s Chairman Mr. Clement Chan; CityU’s President Prof. Way Kuo; and the CMA’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Paul Leung gave their warmest welcome to the participants as a kick-off of the forum. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang was the Forum’s host. We were honored to have Ms. Jin Ping, Deputy Director General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’ Government of Guangdong Province; Mr. Cai Yunge, Deputy Director, Development and Reform Commission of Guangdong Province; and Mr. C Y Leung, Convener of the Executive Council giving keynote addresses at the Forum. Ms. Jin and Mr. Cai explained the background and introduced the Outline. Mr. Leung shared his views on various areas of cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong as well as the possible role and functions that Hong Kong could play under the Outline. It was followed by three panel discussions:– Financial SessionSpeaker: Prof. K C Chan, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury of the HKSAR GovernmentModerator: Dr. Frank Song, Director of the Centre for China Financial Research of The University of Hong KongDiscussants: Mr. Fang Fang, CEO and Managing Director of JP Morgan Chase & Co (China); and Mr. George Leung, Advisor, Strategy and Economics, Asia-Pacific, of HSBC.– Logistics SessionSpeaker: Mr. Anthony Wong, Immediate Past President of the Hong Kong Logistics AssociationModeration: Dr. Thomas Chan, Head of the China Business Centre of the Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDiscussants: Mr. Chang Ka-mun, Managing Director of the Li & Fung Research Centre/Staff Officer of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council; andMr. Ambrose Linn, Member of the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council. – Industries/Manufacturing SessionSpeaker: Mr. Peter Leung, former Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs, GuangdongModerator: Mr. Cliff Sun, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong IndustriesDiscussants: Mr. W F Leung, Group Managing Director of Lam Soon (Hong Kong) Ltd;Mr. C K Yeung, Vice Chairman of Blue Box Holdings Ltd; Ms. Iris Lam, Business Promotion Manager of Onlen Fairyland (HK) Co Ltd; and Mr. Michael Yu, Executive Committee Member of the CMA/Director of Sunnex Products Ltd. Participants enthusiastically exchanged their views with speakers at the Q&A session. Mr. Shiu Sin-por, Member of the CPU gave the concluding remarks. The details and implementation plan of the Outline are yet to be mapped out at this stage. By organizing the forum, we hoped that views gathered could be useful to Guangdong and Hong Kong Governments and can serve as a good reference to the business community. Group photo after the keynote session: (L to R) Ms. Karen Tang (the Foundation’s Executive Director), Mr. Paul Leung (CMA’s Chief Executive Officer), Mr. Cai Yunge (Deputy Director, Development and Reform Commission of Guangdong Province), Mr. Clement Chan (FHKI’s Chairman), Prof Lau Siu-kai (CPU’s Head), Mr. C Y Leung (Executive Council’s Convenor), Ms. Jin Ping (Deputy Director General of HongKong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’ Government of Guangdong Province), Mr. W F Leung (the Foundation’s Trustee) and Prof Way Kuo (CityU’s President) Over 180 professionals from various business fields attending the forum

The Honourable John Tsang, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, delivered the 2009-2010 Budget Speech on 25 February 2009. On 9 March 2009, members and guests of the Better Hong Kong Foundation attended the Joint Business Community Luncheon where Mr. Tsang addressed the Hong Kong business community and elaborated this year’s budget. (L to R) Ms. Karen Tang (Executive Director of the Foundation), Ms. Michelle Chan (Group Managing Director of Hutchison Harbour Ring Ltd) and Mr. Joseph Yu (Council Member of the Foundation) (L to R) Dr. Gerald Chow (Council Member of the Foundation), Mr. David Mong (Vice Chairman of Shun Hing Group) and Ms. Karen Tang (Executive Director of the Foundation) (L to R) Ms. Tan Shih-ying (Director of Communications and Public Relations Office, City University of Hong Kong), Ms. Li Xuhua (Special Assistant of Chia Tai Group) and Prof. Frank Song (Director, Centre for China Financial Research, University of Hong Kong) (L to R) Mr. Man Cheuk-fei (Chief Editor, Hong Kong Economic Journal (HKEJ) Monthly & Assistant Chief Editor, HKEJ), Mr. Thomas Woo and Mr. Albert Ip (Council Members of the Foundation)

On 4 March 2009, the Better Hong Kong Foundation hosted a luncheon for about a hundred American Fulbright scholars and students who were attending the Fulbright China Research Forum 2009 in Hong Kong during 2 – 6 March 2009. Organized by the Hong Kong America Center, the Forum was an annual meeting of American Fulbright research scholars who were conducting research in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Forum was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in China, the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange in Taiwan and U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, and supported by 8 local universities. Members and guests of the Foundation joined the luncheon to exchange views about the development of China and Hong Kong with the scholars. They were: The Foundation’s Council Members– Dr. Roy Chung, Vice Chairman & Executive Director, Techtronic Industries Co Ltd– Mr. Thomas Woo, Executive Managing Director & General Manager, Hsin Kuang Restaurant (Holdings) Ltd– Dato’ S J Wong, Executive Co-Chairman, E2-Capital Group– Ms. Winnie Ng, Director, The Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd– Dr. Gerald Chow, Executive Director, Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd– Mr. Joseph Yu, Chairman, Roseville Group of Companies– Mr. Albert Ip, Managing Director of Investments, Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd– Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director, The Better Hong Kong Foundation Invited Guest– Mr. Charles Ng, Managing Director, Equitas Capital Ltd (L) The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang giving her warm welcome to the Fulbright Scholars; at her left is Dr. Glenn Shive, Director of Hong Kong America Center (Middle) The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung sharing his experience with the scholars (L) The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ S J Wong exchanging his views with the scholars (Middle) The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng enjoying the discussion with the scholars (Middle) The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Gerald Chow and the Fulbright Scholars The scholars are having a great time with the Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Thomas Woo (1st left, back row) (Middle) The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Joseph Yu sharing his experience in the financial field with the scholars The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang (L) and the Hong Kong America Center’s Director Dr. Glenn Shive (middle) thanking Mr. Charles Ng (R) for his participation in the luncheon

Organized by the China Universities Alumni (Hong Kong) Association (CUAA) and co-organized by the Better Hong Kong Foundation, CUAA-Financial Association, the CUAA-Legal Association and the Hong Kong Association of Mainland Graduates, the “CUAA – Spring Forum on the Prospect of China in 2009” was successfully held on 27 February 2009 at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre of the China Resources Building. Mr. Ronnie Chan, Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation and Chairman of Hang Lung Group Ltd was the keynote speaker of the Forum. Other speakers included Mr. Fang Fang, CEO and Managing Director of JP Morgan Chase & Co (China); Mr. Li Jialin, Chairman of VST Holdings Ltd; Mr. Oliver Lu, Director of News of Phoenix TV’s InfoNews Channel; Mr. Li Wei, renowned commentator of current affairs; Mr. Bai Ren, Vice President of BOCI Research Ltd; and Dr. Frank Song, Director of Centre for China Financial Research of the University of Hong Kong. Over 200 participants attended the Forum, including the Foundation Trustee Dr. Sumet Jiaravanon’s representative Ms. Li Xuhua and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang as well as the Foundation’s invited guest Mr. Charles Ng, Director of Somerley Ltd. The Foundation Council Members Mr. Joseph Yu and Mr. Albert Ip joined the dinner after the Forum. The speakers shared with guests their views and comments on the economic and social developments of China in 2009. Senior legal consultants also joined the Forum to give their professional advice on legal issues relating to business operation, investment and labour areas. (1st left) The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan sharing his insightful views on the prospect of China economy

At the beginning of each Chinese New Year, the Better Hong Kong Foundation always organizes a New Year Luncheon for the Foundation’s members, Consuls General and Chairmen of international chambers of commerce in Hong Kong.  This year’s luncheon was successfully held on 19 February 2009. The Foundation’s Advisory Council Chairman Dr. Henry Cheng together with the Foundation’s members hosted the luncheon for over 30 guests. Mr. Ronnie Chan, Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation shared with guests his observations and views on the recent developments in the world economy. All participants were enthusiastic in exchanging views and to looking forward to a brighter future. List of Participants The Better Hong Kong FoundationTrustees– Dr. Henry Cheng, Managing Director of New World Development Co Ltd (Advisory Council Chairman of the Foundation)– Mr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of Hang Lung Group Ltd (Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation)– Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Chief Executive Officer of Far East Consortium International Ltd Council Members– Dr. Roy Chung, Vice Chairman & Executive Director of Techtronic Industries Co Ltd– Mr. Oscar Chow, Executive Director of Chevalier International Holdings Ltd– Mr. Thomas Woo, Executive Managing Director & General Manager of Hsin Kuang Restaurant (Holdings) Ltd– Ms. Winnie Ng, Director of the Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd– Dr. Gerald Chow, Executive Director of Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd– Mr. Joseph Yu, Chairman of Roseville Group of Companies– Mr. David Fong, Deputy Managing Director of Hip Shing Hong Group of Companies– Mr. Tony Choi, Executive Director of Hong Kong Garment Mfg Co Ltd– Mr. Albert Ip, Managing Director of Investments of Merrill Lynch (Pacific Asia) Ltd– Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation GuestsCommissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR– Mr. Zhan Yongxin, Deputy Commissioner– Ms. Ren Hongyan, Second Secretary Consulates in Hong Kong– Mr. Michel Malherbe, Consul General of Belgium– Ms. Doreen Steidle, Consul General of Canada– Mr. Jorgen Mollegaard, Consul-General of Denmark– Mr. Timo Rajakangas, Consul-General of Finland– Mr. Adam Tertak, Consul General of the Republic of Hungary– Mr. Daisuke Matsunaga, Deputy Consul-General of Japan– Mr. Cheong Loon Lai, Consul General of Malaysia– Ms. Adele Bryant, Consul-General of New Zealand – Mr. Ryszard J Potocki, Consul General of Poland– Mr. Alexander Romanov, Deputy Consul-General of the Russian Federation– Mr. Saeed Al Qahtani, Vice Consul of Saudi Arabia– Mr. Juan L F Arroyuelo, Consul General of Spain– Ms. Primrose Zwedala, Consul (Political) of South African– Mr. Iain Lindsay, Deputy Consul General of U.K.– Mr. Joseph R Donovan, Consul General of U.S. International Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Ms. Deborah Biber, Chief Executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Mr. Andrew Work, Executive Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen, Chairman of Danish Chamber of Commerce– Ms. Frederique Schillern, Board Member of Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Mr. Xavier Jacquemain, President of French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong– Mr. Peter Lo, Treasurer of German Industry and Commerce– Mr. V Santha Ram, Executive Director of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong– Mr. Rafael Aharoni, Chairman of Israeli Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Mr. Howard Kang, Chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Mr. David Whitwam, Chairman of New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong– Mr. Serge Fafalen, President of Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong Other Guests– Ambassador Curtis Chin, U.S. Executive Director of Asian Development Bank – Dr. Jonathan Choi, Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce– Ms. Jean Wong, Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (L to R) The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. David Fong and Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan, Mr. Alexander Romanov (Deputy Consul-General of the Russian Federation), the Foundation’s Advisory Council Chairman Dr. Henry Cheng and Council Member Mr. Albert Ip, Mr. Zhan Yongxin (Deputy Commissioner of Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR), the Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Thomas Woo and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang The Foundation members hosted the luncheon for over 30 guests

Jointly organized by the Better Hong Kong Foundation (the Foundation), Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) and Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (SCPPC), the Forum on “Economic Transformation and Development of Shanghai and Hong Kong in the Global Financial Crisis” was successfully held on 19 December 2008 in Shanghai. This was organized in an effort to better encounter the global financial crisis and to strengthen the cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong. Around 200 experts, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and the Mainland attended the Forum. The Forum was supported by Shanghai International Economic Exchange Foundation. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan together with SCPPC Chairman Mr. Feng Guoqiang and SASS President Prof. Wang Ronghua officiated at the Forum’s Opening Ceremony. Prof. Lau Siu-kai, Head of Central Policy Unit of Hong Kong SAR Government and Mr. Zhang Guangping, Deputy Director-General of China Banking Regulatory Commission Shanghai Branch delivered their keynote speeches on “Challenges arising from U.S. economic crisis and economic transformation of Hong Kong” and “Financial crisis and regulation in Shanghai and Hong Kong” respectively. To facilitate discussions, four sessions with themes on “Impact of financial tsunami on the economic transformation of Shanghai and Hong Kong and the way forward”, “Economic transformation of Shanghai and Hong Kong: challenges, paths and inspirations”, “Economic transformation of Shanghai and Hong Kong, and interaction within the region”, and “Financial crisis and interaction between Shanghai and Hong Kong” were set up. 12 invited speakers including Mr. Kwok Kwok-chuen, former Government Economist and Honorary Senior Research Fellow of University of Hong Kong; Mr. Antony Hung, Asia Pacific Global Wealth Management Head of Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd; Dr. Zhou Bajun, senior research fellow of China Everbright Holding Co Ltd; Prof Francis Lui of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Prof. Tuan Chyan and Prof Linda Ng of Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dr. Thomas Chan, Head of China Business Center of Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Mr. Qiao Yide, Secretary of Shanghai Development Research Foundation, etc, shared their views on the topics. The Foundation’s Executive Director, Miss Karen Tang was one of the moderators and Foundation’s Council Members Ms. Winnie Ng and Mr. Albert Ip participated in the Forum. In conclusion, Dr. Zuo Xuejin, Executive Vice-President of SASS appreciated the speakers and participants for sharing their insights of which would be consolidated and presented to related authorities in due course. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Li Liangyuan, Deputy Chairman of SCPPC thanked the organizers, speakers and participants for their efforts made to the Forum. He hoped that the economic cooperation and development between Shanghai and Hong Kong could be further enhanced and strengthened. After the Forum, the Foundation hosted a dinner for the organizers and speakers at the Xintiendi Club. Prof. Wang Ronghua, President of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan delivering his opening remarks Officiating guests at the opening ceremony Around 200 experts, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and the Mainland attending the Forum (L to R) Mr. Ronnie Chan (Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation), Mr. Feng Guoqiang (Chairman of Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) and Dr. Zuo Xuejin (Executive Vice-President of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) at the opening ceremony (L to R) The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Albert Ip (Manager Director of Investments of Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd), Mr. Alfred Tsai (Manager Director of Investments of Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd, the Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan, and Mr. Antony Hung (Asia Pacific Global Wealth Management Head of Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd) Mr. Ronnie Chan and Ms. Ding Zhijian (Committee of Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan Compatriots and Overseas Chinese Affairs of Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) Prof. Lau Siu-kai (middle), Head of Central Policy Unit of Hong Kong SAR Government and Mr. Zhang Guangping (right), Deputy Director-General of China Banking Regulatory Commission Shanghai Branch delivering their keynote speeches and answering questions on the floor Mr. Kwok Kwok-chuen (2nd left) (Honorary Senior Research Fellow of University of Hong Kong/Former Government Economist), Dr. Zhou Bajun (3rd left) (Senior Research Fellow of China Everbright Holding Co Ltd) and Prof. Xu Mingqi (4th left) (Deputy Director of Institute of World Economy and research fellow of SASS) delivering their speeches and answering questions on the floor. Dr. Thomas Chan (1st left) (Head of China Business Center of Hong Kong Polytechnic University) as the moderator of the session The Foundation’s Executive Director, Ms Karen Tang is one of the moderators (L to R) Dr. Zuo Xuejin, Mr. Kwok Kwok-chuen, Mr. Li Liangyuan (Deputy Chairman of SCPPC), the Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng (Director of the Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd), Ms. Ding Zhijian and the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang at the closing ceremony (L to R) Group photo of Prof. Linda Ng (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Ms. Karen Tang, Prof. Tuan Chyan (Chinese University of Hong Kong) and Prof. You Anshan after the dinner

The 4th Asia Economic Summit – Reinvention Asian Economics for Sustainable Growth and Prosperity, jointly organized by the Asia Society Hong Kong Center and the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, was successfully held on 8 – 9 December 2008. The Better Hong Kong Foundation sponsored the Luncheon entitled “China’s Role in the World Economy & Financial Reforms”. Mr. Claude Smadja, Former Managing Director of the World Economic Forum was invited to address at the luncheon while Ambassador Wu Jianmin also shared his views on the topic and joined Mr. Smadja to answer questions from the floor during the Q&A session, of which Mr. Ronnie Chan, Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation and Chairman of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, was the moderator. Foundation Trustee and Chairman of Lippo Group Mr. Stephen Riady spoke at the session on “Asia’s Property Market – Towards Sustainable Development”. The Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Gerald Chow, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. Tony Choi and Mr. Albert Ip together with Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang participated in the summit. By invitation of the Foundation, Swiss Consul General Dr. Hans Roth; President of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Mr. Serge Fafalen; and the Managing Director of Investments, Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd Mr. Alfred Tsai also attended the event. (R to L) Mr. Ronnie Chan, Ambassador Wu Jianmin, Mr. Claude Smadja and Ms. Karen Tang (L to R) Ms. Karen Tang, President of Swiss Chamber of Commerce Mr. Serge Fafalen and President, ASEAN of GE Mr. Stuart Dean Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Gerald Chow (1st left), Mr. Claude Smadja (3rd left), Mr. Zhan Yongxin (3rd right), Mr. Ronnie Chan (2nd right) and Ambassador Wu Jianmin (1st right)

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia Meeting was successfully held in Hong Kong from 2 – 3 December 2008. Former U.S. President Mr. Bill Clinton travelled to Hong Kong to host the first CGI meeting outside the United States. Several hundred Asian leaders from a variety of backgrounds participated in the CGI Meeting which focused on three primary areas of discussion, namely education, energy & climate change, and public health. Mr. Yang Jiechi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC made the opening keynote speech. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan was one of the panelists at the session “Next-Generation Philanthropy”. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang was also invited to join the meeting.The Better Hong Kong Foundation In 2005, President Clinton established CGI to turn ideas into action and to help the world move beyond the current state of globalization to a more integrated global community of shared benefits, responsibilities, and values. Details of the CGI could be found from its website.  

Jointly organized by the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Faculty of Business and Partnership Development Office of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the “China Economic and Business Symposium 2008 – The Insights” was successfully held on 25 November 2008. The Better Hong Kong Foundation was one of the supporting organizations. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan and Council Member Mr. Oscar Chow were moderators and speakers of the conference issues. Prominent speakers who are instrumental in providing high level analysis and research support to the Chinese government’s policy development and deployment were invited to speak at the symposium. The symposium provided a timely opportunity for participants to gain access to top-level information about the Central government’s direction and policy, thus enabling them to make well-informed decisions in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang attended the symposium where over 600 participants joined.  Audiences not only gained insights from “the brains behind”, but also learned views and opinions from business and industrial leaders in Hong Kong. Mr. Ronnie Chan (3rd left) enjoying the conversation with Prof. Ko Jan-ming (2nd left), Vice President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Mr. Oscar Chow (1st left) joining the symposium as one of the panelists Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang receiving the souvenir from Prof. Ko Jan-ming, Vice President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Mr. Li Gang, Deputy Director of Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong was invited to join a luncheon with members of the Foundation on 7 November 2008. Mr. Li was accompanied by Mr. Sin Jinquan, Deputy Director General of Publicity, Culture and Sports Department of the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan; Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu and Dr. Sumet Jiaravanon’s representative Ms. Li Xuhua; the Foundation’s Council Members Mr. Thomas Woo, Ms. Winnie Ng, Dr. Gerald Chow, Ms. Judy Yu, Mr. Joseph Yu, Mr. David Fong and Mr. Albert Ip; and the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang and Communications Manager Ms. Jimmie Chow attended the luncheon and had fruitful dialogues with Mr. Li Gang and Mr. Sin Jinquan. (R to L) Dr. Gerald Chow, Mr. Ronnie Chan, Mr. Li Gang, Dato’ David Chiu and Ms. Judy Yu (L to R) Mr. David Fong, Ms. Karen Tang, Mr. Joseph Yu and Mr. Albert Ip

Organised by the Better Hong Kong Foundation (the Foundation), Mr. David McCormick, Under Secretary for International Affairs of the U.S. Treasury Department delivered a luncheon speech entitled “Financial Turmoil in Perspective” at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel in Hong Kong on 22 October 2008. More than 300 audiences who are professionals from financial and banking sectors, insurance and properties industries, academic and the government, etc attended the luncheon and exchanged their views with Mr. McCormick on the recent global financial crises and the way forward. After a warm welcome given by the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang and an introduction by Mr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Better Hong Kong Foundation, Chairman of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center and Chairman of Hang Lung Group, Mr. McCormick began his speech by saying that no countries in the world could immune from the recent global financial stress as well as the destabilizing financial markets caused by diminishing market confidence. To address the instability and restore the health of the world economy, Mr. McCormick urged that the whole world must work together to achieve these goals. Mr. McCormick also shared his views on the root cause of the market turmoil, the measurements that the United States are taking to mitigate risk as well as to stabilize the markets, and suggested some possible early lessons for both the United States and China. Four emerging themes have been suggested by Mr. McCormick, namely the reformation of US financial system, development of domestic market, anti-protectionism and the continuation of cooperation among government around the world. Although the interdependence of the global economy has made the current challenges more complex, Mr. McCormick believed that the challenge would be overcame with the joint effort of the leaders around the world. In the Q&A session, most of the audiences asked how the US government could ensure its actions taken in dealing with the current turmoil be an effective one and how the upcoming new US administration will carry that forward. The discussion amongst Mr. McCormick and the audiences was definitely a fruitful and constructive one. It was truly a rewarding experience for the Foundation’s members and for all other audiences. At his introduction, Mr Ronnie Chan commended the US government that it has been wise in inviting experienced experts from business who really understand the market. Good examples include Mr David McCormick and Mr Henry Paulson. Ms Karen Tang explained that the luncheon has been planned for more than a year and it turned out to be at the perfect timing. She thanked Asia Society for co-organising the event and thanked the media partners Economist, South China Morning Post, and Caijing Magazine for supporting the event and making it a success. Amongst the audiences, the Better Hong Kong Foundation members attended include: – Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Deputy Chairman of Far East Consortium International Ltd, – Dr Roy Chung, Vice Chairman of Techtronic Industries Co Ltd, – Mr. Thomas Woo, Executive Managing Director & General Manager of Hsin Kuang Restaurant (Holdings) Ltd, – Ms Winnie Ng, Director of the Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd, – Dr Gerald Chow, Executive Director of Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd, – Ms Judy Yu-Hong, Managing Director of Carsac Ltd, – Mr. Joseph Yu, Chairman of Roseville Group of Companies, and – Mr. Albert Ip, Managing Director of Investment, Pac Rim, Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd. Other guests include:– Mr. Joseph Donovan, U.S. Consul General, Mr. Christopher Marut, U.S. Deputy Consul General,– Mr. Zhan Yongxin, Deputy Commissioner of the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR,– Dr. Edgar Cheng, Council Chairman of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Chairman of the World-Wide Investment Co Ltd, – Prof Lawrence Lau, Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, – Mr. Douglas Woo, Acting Managing Director of Wheelock Properties (Hong Kong) Ltd, – Dr. Gerald Chan, Non-Executive Director of Morningside Group, etc. The Asia Society was the co-organiser of the event. And the media partners included the Economist, the South China Morning Post and Caijing. Click here to view the video Over 300 people attended the luncheon presentation on 22 October 2008. Mr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Foundation introduced the honorable speaker Mr. David McCormick to the audience. Mr. David McCormick shared with the audiences his views on the recent global financial turmoil and the way forward. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang gave a warmest welcome to Mr. McCormick. Questions from the audience were flooding into the Q&A session. Mr. Tom Easton, Asia Business Editor of the Economist was the moderator of the Q&A session. Mr. McCormick was paying his full attention to the questions from the floor. Ms. Karen Tang presented a souvenir to Mr. McCormick as a token of appreciation. (R to L) Mr. Ronnie Chan, Mr. David McCormick, Mr. Tom Easton and Ms. Karen Tang. The Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Roy Chung (2nd left) and Mrs. Judy Yu-hong (1st right) attended the luncheon to show their support. (L to R) Mr. Albert Ip, Council Member of the Foundation, Mr. Christopher Marut, U.S. Deputy Consul General Hong Kong, Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Trustee of the Foundation, Mr. Joseph R Donovan Jr., U.S. Consul General Hong Kong, Dr. Roy Chung, Council Member of the Foundation, Mr. Zhan Yongxin, Deputy Commissioner of the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR and Prof. Lawrence Lau, Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. (R to L) The Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Ms. Winnie Ng and Mr. Albert Ip, Council Members of the Foundation. (L to R) Mr. Albert Ip, Council Member of the Foundation, Mr. Zhan Yongxin, Deputy Commissioner of the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR, Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Foundation, Prof. Lawrence Lau, Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Edgar Cheng, Council Chairman of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Chairman of the World-Wide Investment Co Ltd. The Foundation’s Council Members Mrs. Judy Yu-hong and Mr. Joseph Yu (1st right) thanked Mr. McCormick after the luncheon.

Jointly hosted by the Better Hong Kong Foundation, Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Committee of 100 and the American Chamber of Commerce, a luncheon presentation on “The 2008 Presidential Campaign Trail: Where Does It Lead?” was successfully held on 15 August 2008. Speakers of the luncheon were Mr. David Brooks, a New York Times columnist and Mr. Charlie Cook, a political commentator. The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Mr. Ronnie Chan introduced the speakers to the guests at the luncheon where they were shared with Mr. Brooks’ and Mr. Cook’s views on the 2008 presidential election of the U.S. The presentation ended with a vote on “who would win the election” and more votes have been cast for Obama on the occasion. The Foundation’s Council Members Ms. Winnie Ng, Mr. Joseph Yu, and Mr. Alber Ip attended and guests included the Deputy Commissioner of The Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR Mr. Zhan Yongxin; the Director of Public Affairs of U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong Mr. Anthony Hutchinson; the Chairman of Crown Worldwide Holdings Ltd. Mr. James E. Thompson; the Principal of Heidrick & Struggles Mr. Peter Liu; Reuters Columnist of the Chinese Language News Service Ms. Wei Gu and Researchers of the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR. From left to right: Mr. Ronnie Chan (Executive Committee Chairman of the Foundation, Chairman of Hang Lung Group Limited); Mr. David Brooks (Columnist of the New York Times); Mr. Charlie Cook (political commentator); Ms. Alice Mong (Executive Director of Committee 100) From right to left: Mr. James E. Thompson (Chairman of Crown Worldwide Holdings Ltd.); Mr. Shiu Sin-por (Counselor of Central Policy Unit of HKSAR Government ); Ms. Alice Mong (Executive Director of Committee 100) From left to right: Mr. James E. Thompson (Chairman of Crown Worldwide Holdings Ltd.); Mr. Joseph Yu (Council Member of BHKF, Chairman of Roseville Group of Companies); Mr. Peter Liu (Principal of Heidrick & Struggles) From left to right: Mr. Peter Liu (Principal of Heidrick & Struggles); Ms. Wei Gu (Columnist, Chinese Language News Service, Reuters); Mr. Anthony Hutchinson (Director of Public Affairs, U.S. Consulate General); Mr. Albert Ip, Managing Director of Investments, Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd

The Fifth International Forum on “Global Urban Competitiveness” (“The Forum”) was successfully held in Yangzhou on 26th – 27th of July 2008. Initiated by the Global Urban Competitiveness Project (GUCP), this year’s Forum was organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Yangzhou Government and supported by the Better Hong Kong Foundation (“Foundation”). Around a hundred of experts and scholars from China and overseas as well as senior officials from local governments have attended the Forum and exchanged their views on the strategies and challenges raised by the increasingly fierce competition amongst cities, both locally and internationally.   The Foundation’s Council Members Mrs. Judy YU HONG (Carsac Limited, Managing Director), Ms. Winnie NG (The Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd, Director), Executive Director Ms. Karen TANG and Communications Manager Ms. Jimmie CHOW attended the Forum. By the invitation of the Foundation, Mr. CHIU Liang Ching (Ming Pao Weekly Magazine, Columnist), Ms. Chole LAI (South China Morning Post, Shanghai Correspondent), Mr. Christopher WILSON (The Economist, Asia Research Correspondent), Mr. WONG Bun Yuen (Reuters News, Editor and Head of Reuters Chinese News) also joined the Foundation’s delegation. Besides, Business Development Directors of Creative Connexions, UAL Ventures (China) Ltd. Also joined the Foundation’s delegation, they are: Ms. SIU Chung Chi (Business Development Director in the Hong Kong office), Ms. ZHANG Yanyan (Business Director in the Beijing office) and Mr. PAN Yuhu (Business Director in the Shanghai office).   As one of the officiating guests at the opening ceremony of the Forum held on 26th of July 2008, the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen TANG was invited to deliver a speech on the occasion. The Forum was then commenced with the presentations on the theme report on “The Sustainable Development of Oriental Countries” and the case study on Yangzhou. The Mayors Round-table Meeting was also conducted successfully with fruitful discussions made in the afternoon session. To welcome the delegates and to show them the beauty of the city, the Yangzhou Government hosted a dinner reception and followed by a night boat trip around the city.   The highlight of the Forum was the release of the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2007 – 2008) by Dr NI Pengfei, the General Secretary of the GUCP on the last day of the Forum. The study covered over 500 cities around the world in which Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing were ranked 26th, 41st, 64th and 66th respectively. The study also showed that the top 20 cities with highest economic growth are mainly from China. Scholars from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Germany as well as China Mainland have also shared their studies and research results on urban competitiveness with participants of the Forum. After the closing ceremony, Ms Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Foundation chaired the press conference for the Forum in which over 20 journalists from local and overseas media attended.   Since the inception of the Forum in 2004, this annual Forum has been successfully staged in Tsing Tao, Ottawa, Chengdu, Seoul and Yangzhou respectively. The Foundation would like to congratulate the CASS and Yangzhou Government for the success of this year’s Forum.   For details of the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2007 – 2008) and presentation materials of some speakers, please click here .     Ms. Karen TANG (first from right), Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation, and the guests on the opening ceremony of the Forum, including: Mr. JI Jianye, the local (Yangzhou) Secretary of the Municipal Committee of the CPC, (fifth from right); Mr. CHEN Jiagui, Deputy Director of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Mr. SHI Heping, Deputy Mayor of Suzhou City (sixth from right) Ms. Karen TANG (Executive Director, The Better Hong Kong Foundation) spoke on the opening ceremony Media members invited by the Foundation: Mr. WONG Bun Yuen (first from left: Reuters News, Editor and Head of Reuters Chinese News); Mr. Christopher WILSON (second from left: The Economist, Asia Research Correspondent); Ms. Chole LAI (third from left: South China Morning Post, Shanghai Correspondent) and Business Development Directors of Creative Connexions, UAL Ventures (China) Ltd. Invited by the Foundation: Ms. SIU Chung Chi (Business Development Director in the Hong Kong office), Ms. ZHANG Yanyan (Business Director in the Beijing office) and Mr. PAN Yuhu (Business Director in the Shanghai office)(in the back row)back row)

Co-hosted by the Better Hong Kong Foundation and the Asia Society Hong Kong, the Foundation was pleased to have Ambassador Zhang Yan, China’s Ambassador to India give a luncheon presentation on 18 June 2008. Ambassador Zhang gave a speech entitled “Perspectives on India & Sino-Indian Relations” on the occasion. The Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Roy Chung and Mr. Albert Ip together with invited guests Mr. C. K. Yeung, Director of University Development and Public Affairs of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Ms. Clara Choi, Executive Producer of Radio and Television Hong Kong joined the luncheon.

Ms Winnie Ng, the Foundation’s Council Member (Middle row, 8th from the left) and Ms Karen Tang, the Foundation’s Executive Director (Middle row, 7th from the left), with President Hu Jintao, Chief Executive Donald Tsang, and the business and community leaders from HK and Macau at the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference 2008, April 11 -13.

The Seminar and Press Conference of 2008 China Urban Competitiveness Study (Hong Kong) is held in Hong Kong on April 1, 2008. It is organized by The Better Hong Kong Foundation and co-organized by Institute of Finance and Trade Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The 2008 Blue Book on China Urban Competitiveness” project is led by Dr Pengfei Ni in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The urban competitiveness of 200 cities in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau is analyzed. The top 10 cities in overall urban competitiveness are: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Guangzhou, Kaohsiung, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Tianjin. Hong Kong also ranked 1st in 2006 and 2007. Hong Kong also ranked 1st in efficiency competitiveness, structural competitiveness and quality competitiveness. Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation said that Hong Kong is ranked top among all cities in China in three consecutive years indicating strong competitiveness of Hong Kong. However to maintain its competitiveness Hong Kong has to work with other cities in PRD, to achieve further developments for the whole region. To strengthen urban competitiveness, Hong Kong should also strengthen infrastructure in transportation, communication, and industrial and commercial sectors, expand the scope of financial services to consolidate Hong Kong’s role as the financial centre of Asia.” For more details of the report, please click here

The Financial Secretary of the HKSARG the Honourable John Tsang has presented the 2008/2009 Government Budget on 5 March 2008. Members and guests of the Better Hong Kong Foundation attended the Joint Business Community Luncheon to listen to the Financial Secretary’s further eleboration on the budget and his principles of managing the Government Budget. (From left)Asia Business Editor of The Economist Mr. Thomas Easton, Executive Director of the Foundation Ms. Karen Tang and CEO of Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong Mr. Louis Pong. (From left)Executive Assistant to Chairman (Commercial)of Wheelock Properties (HK) Ltd Mr. Douglas Woo, Business Desk Senior Editor of South China Morning Post Mr. Kenneth Howe and Chief Economist of HK Trade Development Council Mr. Edward Leung (From left)Associate Dean (Development) of School of Economics & Finance of the University of HK Prof. Maurice Tse and Assistant News Editor of News & Public Affairs Division of Asia Television Ltd. Mr. Law Chen Pang

The Foundation hosted a luncheon for the Fulbright scholars who were attending the Fulbright China Research Forum organized by the Hong Kong – America Center here in Hong Kong. Members and guests of the Foundation attended the luncheon to exchange views about the development of China and Hong Kong with the scholars. The Fulbright China Research Forum is an annual meeting of Fulbright scholars who are conducting research in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The scholars are post-graduates from America, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Forum is organized by the Hong Kong American Center and supported by 8 universities in Hong Kong. The Fulbright Scholarship and the Forum are sponsored by the US Embassy in Beijing, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. Members and guests of the Foundation attended the luncheon included: Dr. Roy C.P. Chung, Council Member, the Better Hong Kong Foundation Mr. Ben Wong, Council Member, the Better Hong Kong Foundation Ms. Winnie Ng, Council Member, the Better Hong Kong Foundation Mr. Woo Chu, Council Member, the Better Hong Kong Foundation Mr. Douglas Woo, Executive Assistant to Chairman (Commercial), Wheelock Properties (HK) Ltd., representative of the Foundation’s Trustee Mr. Peter Woo Mr. Martin Yan, Chairman, Chef Martin Yan’s Culinary Arts Center Mr. Joseph Yu, Chairman, Roseville Group of Companies Dr. Allen Fung, Managing Partner, McKinsey & Co. Mr. Peter Liu, Principal, Heidrick & Struggles Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director , The Better Hong Kong Foundation The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang welcome the Fulbright Scholars. The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung made a welcome remark The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng exchanged with the Fulbright Scholars The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Ben Wong (4th from left)exchanged with the Fulbright Scholars Chairman of Roseville Group of Companies Mr. Joseph Yu exchanged with the Fulbright Scholars The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Woo Chu (first from right, rear row)and guest Mr. Martin Yan (forth from right, rear row)took picture with the Fulbright Scholars. The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Woo Chu (1st from right, rear row), guest Mr. Peter Liu (2nd from right, rear row)and guest Mr. Martin Yan (2nd from right, front row)took picture with the Fulbright Scholars. Hong Kong -America Center Dr. Glenn Shive (right)with the companion of the Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung (left)presented a souvenir to the Foundation’s Trustee Mr. Peter Woo’s representative Mr. Douglas Woo (middle) Hong Kong -America Center Dr. Glenn Shive (right)with the companion of the Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung (left)presented a souvenir to the Foundation’s guest Managing Partner of McKinsey & Co. Dr. Allen Fung (middle) (From left)Mr. Ben Wong, Mr. Peter Liu, Mr. Joseph Yu, Dr. Roy Chung, Mr. Martin Yan, Ms. Winnie Ng, Dr. Glenn Shive, Ms. Karen Tang, Mr. Douglas Wu, Mr. Woo Chu and Dr. Allen Fung

The Better Hong Kong Foundation hosts annual spring luncheon for Consul Generals and Heads of Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong every year. This year the Foundation has invited the Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in the HKSAR Mr. Yang Zigang as guest speaker, near 40 Consul Generals and Heads of Chambers of Commerce attended the luncheon. Members of the Foundation attending the luncheon include: Chairman of the Executive Committee, Dr. Ronnie Chan, Trustee Mr. Victor Cha, Council Members Mr. Woo Chu, Ms. Winnie Ng, Dr. Roy C.P. Chung, and representative of Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang. (From left)The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang, Trustee Mr. Victor Cha, Deputy Commissioner Mr. Yang Zigang and the Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Ronnie Chan Near 40 Consul Generals and heads of Chambers of Commerce attended the luncheon Deputy Cmmissioner Mr. Yang Zigang speaks at the luncheon (From Left)Consul General of Sardi Arabia Mr. Alaudeen A. Alskary and Deputy Commissioner Mr. Yang Zigang. (From left)Chairman of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Association Mr. Henry Steiner and the Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang and Executive Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Mr. Andrew Work (From Left)President of the American Chamber of Commerce Mr. Jack Maisano and The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng and Dr. Roy Chung (From Left)Chairman of the Danish Chamber of Commerce Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen, Vice-chairman of Swedish Chamber of Commerce Ms. Eva Idling and Chairman of Korean Chamber of Commerce Mr. Kang Ho Cheon (From left)Consul General of Spain Mr. Juan Luis Flores, Consul General of Belgium Mr. Michel Malherbe, Chairman of Danish Chamberof Commerce Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen and The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Ronnie Chan (From left)The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of Danish Chamberof Commerce Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen, The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Roy Chung and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang (From Left)Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce Mr. Steve Dekrey, Consul General of Poland Mr. Ryszard Jacek Potocki, Consul General of Sardi Arabia Mr. Alaudeen A. Alaskary and Deputy Consul General of Switzerland Mr. Johann U. Muller The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng and Consul General of Finland Mr. Timo Rajakangas (From left)Chairman of Korean Chamber of Commerce Mr. Kang Ho Cheon and Deputy Consul General of Korea Mr. Lee Youngho (From left)The Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Ronnie Chan, Trustee Mr. Victor Cha,Consul General of Sardi Arabia Mr. Alaudeen A. Alskary and Trustee Tan Sri Dato David Chiu’s representative Mr. Bill Mok (From left)Consul General of Belgium Mr. Michel Malherbe and the Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Woo Chu (From left)Consul General of Sardi Arabia Mr. Alaudeen A. Alskary, Consul of Consulate General of Hungary Mr. Janos Chalupa, Mr. Bill Mok and Consul General of Belgium Mr. Michel Malherbe (From left)Chief Executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Ms. Deborah Biber,Head of Trade & Economics of Office of the European Commission Mr. Felipe Palacios Sureda, Deputy Consul General of Switzerland Mr. Johann U. Muller, the Foundation’s Executive Diector Ms. Karen Tang, Consul General of Spain Mr. Juan Luis Flores and Vice-chairman of Swedish Chamber of Commerce Ms. Eva Idling (From left)The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Woo Chu, Deputy Consul General of Australia Mr. David Livingstone and Chairman of the Danish Chamber of Commerce Mr. Jens-Erik Olsen (From left)Consul General of Japan Mr. Shigekazu Sato, the Foundation’s Executive Committee Chairman Dr. Ronnie Chan and Deputy Commissioner Mr. Yang Zigang (From left)The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. Victor Cha, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce Mr. Steve Dekrey, Consul General of Sardi Arabia Mr. Alaudeen A. Alskary and Consul of Consulate General of Hungary Mr. Janos Chalupa The Foundation’s Executive Chairman Dr. Ronnie Chan welcome Deputy Commissioner Mr. Yang Zigang The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. Victor Cha gave a vote of thanks The Foundation’s trustee Mr. Victor Cha presents a souvenir to Mr. Yang Zigang

Members of the Foundation were invited to attend the Four Seas Forum of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, held on 12 December 2007. The Forum has been held in UK, France, USA and Singapore, with Hong Kong being the final stop. The event was attended by eminent economists and CEOs for an exchange of views on China’s latest international trade developments. Product safety was highlighted as one of the most important issues.

Council Memebers of the Better Hong Kong Foundation Dr. Roy Chung, Dato’ SJ Wong and Ms. Winnie Ng and the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang attended the luncheon organized by the Asia Society and co-organized by the Committee of 100. Two prominent U.S. media figures, David Brooks, Columnist, New York Times and Juan Williams, senior correspondent with National Pulic Radio provided their perspectives on the U.S. President Election. The Foundation has also invited the following guests to join the luncheon: Deputy Consul General of US in HK Mr. Christopher Marut, Director of Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General Mr. Anthony Hutchinson, Edito-at-large of the SCMP Mr. Chris Yeung, Asia Business Director of the Economist Mr. Thomas Easton, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration of the University of HK Dr. Peter Cheung and Political Editor of the Standard Ms. Carrie Chan. (from right) The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ SJ wong, Deputy Consul General of US in HK Mr. Christopher Marut and The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang. (from right)The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng, Mr.Thomas Easton, Mr. David Fong and The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ SJ Wong

The Better Hong Kong Foundation (“the Foundation”)is pleased to partner with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong to launch the seminar on “The Chinese World IV: Emergence, at the crossroad!”. The format of the seminar was a one day round table conference, led by journalists, political and economic leaders. The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Woo Chu, Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang and Communications Manager Ms. Alice Mak have attended the seminar. The Foundation has also invited Professor (Chair) of the Department of Economics & Finance of the City University of Hong Kong Professor Stephen Cheung and Associate Dean (Development) of School of Economics & Finance of the University of Hong Kong Professor Maurice Tse to attend the seminar.  The seminar was attended by nearly 300 business leaders from Hong Kong, France and China, and Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development of HKSAR Mr. Frederick Ma and French Minister for Companies and Foreign Trade Mr. Herv’e Novelli were invited to give openeing remarks at the seminar. Former French Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Hurbert Ve’drine was invited as the keynote speaker of the lunch debate after the morning session of the seminar. The whole event was concluded with a Gala Dinner chaired by French Minister for Companies and Foreign Trade in the presence of one of the co-chair of Hong Kong France Business Partnership French dinner and cultural event Mr. David Lie. The Foundation’s Council Member Mr. Woo Chu and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang attended the seminar. (From left)The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang, guests Mr. Wong Man Kong and Mr. Heung Shue Fai joined the Gala Dinner The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang took picture with guests at the Gala Dinner, (from left)Professor Maurice Tse, Mr. Peter Liu and Mr. Thomas Easton. The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ SJ Wong (1st from right) and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang took picture with guests Professor Maurice Tse (2nd from left) and Mr. Peter Liu (1st from left) The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ SJ Wong and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang with guests Mr. Xue Yongxing (1st from right) and Mr. Yau Shing Mu (1st from left) The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ SJ Wong and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang with guest Mr. Heung Shue Fai(1st from right).

The Chief Executive of HKSAR, Honourable Donald Tsang delivered his first Policy Address after his re-election on 10th October 2006.  The Better Hong Kong Foundation attended a joint business community luncheon to meet with the Chief Executive. The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. W F Leung and Council Members Ms Winnie Ng took the opportunity to learn more about the initiatives put forth by the government and to express their views about the Policy Address to the Chief Executive.. The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. W F Leung (middle) and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang attended the luncheon with the guests, (from left)Deputy Editor of SCMP Mr. Cliff Bundle, Cheif Editor of Hong Kong Economic Times Mr. Eric Chan and Hong Kong News Editor of China Daily HK Edition Mr. Albert Au Yeung. The Foundation’s Council Member Ms. Winnie Ng (1st from left) and Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang(2nd from right) with the guests: (from left)Head of Programme & Content Management of RTHK Ms. Miranda Chan, Managing Director of German Pool (Hong Kong) Limited Mr. Edward Chan and Group Managing Director of Hutchison Harbour Ring Limited Ms. Michelle Chan.

This year is the 10th anniversary of HK returning to China. The Better Hong Kong Foundation (Foundation) was pleased to have invited Mr. James B. Cunningham, U.S. Consul General of Hong Kong and Macau to speak at a luncheon co-hosted with the Hong Kong America Centre. The title of Mr. Cunningham’s speech is ”The First Ten Years of the Hong Kong SAR: An American Perspective”. Members of the Foundation Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Deputy Chairman, Far East Consortium International Ltd.; Mr. Peter Lam, Chairman, Lai Sun Development Co. Ltd.; Ms. Winnie Ng, Executive Director, The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. Ltd.; Dr. Gerald K. Chow, Executive Director, Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd.; Dato’ Wong Sin Just, Vice Chairman / CEO, Softbank Investment International (Strategic) Ltd. In his speech, Mr. Cunningham thanked the Foundation for inviting him to share an American perspective on Hong Kong after ten years as a Special Administrative Region of China. Mr. Cunningham stated that the Foundation was created in 1995 by a group of Hong Kong’s influential business and community leaders for the express purpose of enhancing public confidence in Hong Kong’s future. In June of 1995, Fortune magazine ran its cover story: “The Death of Hong Kong.” It was in that business- and investment-unfriendly climate that the Foundation was created to help restore confidence in the territory. HK’s development in the past ten years has proven that the Foundation is on the right track. He also commended the Foundation for contributing to prosper a close relationship between the United States and Hong Kong & China. The Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu made an opening remark at the luncheon U.S. Consul General Mr. James Cunningham delivered his speech The Foundation’s Trustee Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu put forward his view points for discussion at the Q & A session The Foundation’s Council Member Dr. Gerald Chow put forward his viewpoints for discussion at the Q & A session The Foundation’s Council Member Dato’ SJ Wong put forward his viewpoints for discussion at the Q & A session The Foundation’s Trustee Mr. Peter Lam presents a souvenir to Mr. James Cunningham The Foundation’s members and Guests (from right to left) Dr. Gerald Chow, Ms. Winnie Ng, Dr. Glenn Shive, Mr. Peter Lam, Mr. James Cunningham, Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Dato’ SJ Wong, Hon. Bernard Chan and Ms. Karen Tang

The Hong Kong Shanghai Economic Summit was held in Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences on June 1, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland. This high-level conference was a joint effort of the Better Hong Kong Foundation, the Hong Kong and Macau Studies Center of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Chairman of Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Mr. Jiang Yiren, Vice-Chairman of Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Mr. Wang Rong Hua, Chairman of Shanghai Social Sciences Association and Former Vice Director of Xinhua News Agency HK Branch, Mr. Lee Chuwen, Convenor of the Executive Council HKSAR, The Honourable CY Leung, Vice-chairman of the Basic Law Committee and Former Secretary of Justice of HKSAR, Ms. Elsie Leung, Executive Chairman of the Better Hong Kong Foundation, Dr. Ronnie Chan and Director of HK and Trade Affairs Shanghai of HKSAR, Mr. Chan Chi King have attended the conference and gave speeches. Trustees of the Foundation Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu, Mr. Leung Wai Fung, Council Members Mr. Chen Li Po and Mr. Woo Chu also attended the conference. More than 100 Government officials, investors and professionals from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen discussed from different perspectives the successful implementation of “One Country Two Systems” in Hong Kong, and the opportunities arisen in the course of integration between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Experts from different fields compared the education system, social welfare system and medical system; reviewed the development of the various systems of the two cities in the past ten years; as well as explored opportunities to enhance collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Members of the meeting were of the view that Hong Kong and Shanghai both were energetic cities, had their own competitive edges and were also strategic to the development of China especially in the midst of increasingly globalized competition. It was advised that Hong Kong businessmen should participate more actively in Shanghai’s development; and the two cities should work closer, especially under the CEPA, to foster further economic development of the two cities and the economic development of China as a whole; and ultimately both cities would benefit from increasing their respective competitiveness in the process.

The Seminar and Press Conference of 2007 China Urban Competitiveness Study (Hong Kong) is organized by The Better Hong Kong Foundation and co-organized by Institute of Finance and Trade Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The 2007 Blue Book on China Urban Competitiveness” was led by Dr Ni Pengfei of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with contributions from about 100 scholars from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. The report identified the core advantages of 200 Chinese cities. Their urban competitiveness is ranked according to various indicators. The top 10 cities in overall urban competitiveness are: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Taipei, Wuxi, Suzhou, Foshan and Macau. Hong Kong ranks the first in scale, efficiency, efficacy and quality competitiveness, Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation pointed that to maintain Hong Kong’s competitiveness, it is crucial to emphasize its strengths and rectify its weaknesses. Hong Kong needs to consolidate its pillar industries in finance, business and trade services and the ability to attract foreign capital. The headquarters economy should be an avenue along which Hong Kong’s status and its reach of services and functions can be expanded. Hong Kong must also expand its hinterland and promote regional cooperation as ways to highlight our uniqueness and competitiveness. Above all, the government and different industries are well advised to catch every opportunity in this ever-changing world to forge ahead in global urban competition. For more details of the report, please click here   (From Left) Prof. Ni Pengfei, Ms. Karen Tang, Prof. Shen Jianfa and Prof. Yeung Yue-man introduced the results of the study at the press conference. More than 50 guests including important community leaders, attended the press conference.(From Right) Mr. Wang Hui, Deputy Director-General of EAD, Head of Commercial Office of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Mr.Wong Po Yan G.B.M., J.P., Chairman & Managing Director of United Overseas Enterprises Ltd.; Miss Alice Mak, Communications Manager of the Better Hong Kong Foundation; Mr. Zhu Jun, General Affairs Group Director, Commercial office of Economic affairs Department of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.

The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang was invited to attend the International Cooperation Conference for Asia-Pacific CEOs & Provincial Governors and Mayors held inGuangzhouon13 December 2007. The Conferencewas co-sponsored by the Guangzhou Municipal Government and theAsia-Pacific CEO Association, with theme of the conference being “Harmonious Integration of Global Economy”. Chairman of Asia-Pacific CEO Association and the former Australian Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Robert J. L. Hawke attended this Conference. At the conference, Ms. Karen Tang was also appointed Invest Guangzhou International Advisor by the Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangzhou Municipality and Guangzhou Municipal Board for International Investment.   For details of the Conference, please go to: www.ap-summit.org The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang (second from left) was appointed Invest Guangzhou International Advisor by the Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Guangzhou Municipality and Guangzhou Municipal Board for International Investment at the conference. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang (Front row, 7th from the left) attended the International Cooperation Conference for Asia-Pacific CEOs & Provincial Governors and Mayors held in Guangzhou.  

The Better Hong Kong Foundation hosted a luncheon for a group of around 70 Fulbright scholars who attended the Fulbright China Research Forum.  Dr. Ronnie Chan, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Foundation was the keynote speaker for this luncheon. The Foundation’s Council Members Dr. Gerald Chow, Ms. Winnie Ng, Dato SJ Wong, Mr. Thomas Wu and Dr. Roy Chung also attended the lunch to exchange views with the Fulbright Scholars.     The Fulbright China Research Forum is an annual meeting of Fulbright scholars who are conducting research in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The scholars are post-graduates from America, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Forum is organized by the Hong Kong American Center, supported by 8 universities in Hong Kong. The Fulbright Scholarship and the Forum are sponsored by the US Embassy in Beijing, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong.

The Better Hong Kong Foundation was honored to have eminent Mainland economist Professor Liu Shucheng speak at a luncheon hosted by the Foundation. Professor Liu is currently a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Director of the Institute of Economics. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the monthly Economic Research Journal and a member of the Experts Committee for the State’s eleventh Five-year Plan. He is an expert on macro economics and China’s cyclical economy.   In his speech, Professor Liu showed the main characteristics of China’s economic growth in recent years. In the new business cycle that started in the year 2000, China’s growth has been smooth and relatively fast, with the grow rate remaining at a modest range of about 8%-10% for seven years successively, and at a higher level of 10% or more for four years successively from 2003 to 2006. This new wave of China’s economic growth is unprecedented in China’s economic development history since its foundation. Based on Part One, Professor Liu analysed the future trends of China’s economy in theyear 2007 and in the coming 3-5 years, focusing on four heated issues: (1) macro regulation and its effect; (2) land, food supplies and the price level; (3) real estate development; (4) international payments imbalances.   The luncheon was well-received, with 70 guests and nearly 50 journalists from all the local media attended Professor Liu’s insightful speech. This luncheon was co-hosted with the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre.

The Better Hong Kong Foundation hosted a New Year luncheon for foreign Consuls, Chambers of Commerce and business leaders. The guest speaker at the luncheon was Mr. Lu Xinhua, Commissioner of China’s Foreign Ministry in HKSAR.    In his speech, Mr. Lu talked about China’s diplomacy in 2006, Sino-US relations and developments in Northeast Asia. Mr. Lu pointed out that 2006 saw profound and complicated changes in the international situation. China’s adherence to its independent foreign policy of peaceful diplomacy and development has contributed to building a more enduring peace and stability worldwide, and an enabling environment for its internal reforms and modernization drive.   Mr. Lu said that China-US relations have moved forward steadily. President Hu Jintao paid a successful visit to the US President and the two leaders met on many occasions in 2006. As a result, an important relationship has been reached to trying to build a constructive China-US relationship for the 21st century. According to Mr. Lu, China-Russian relations continue to deepen. President Hu and President Putin met five times in 2006 alone, reaching an important consensus on the long-term development of bilateral relations and strengthening strategic coordination.   By overcoming political difficulties, China and Japan saw a turn for the better in their relations. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China and President Hu Jintao’s meeting with him on the sidelines of the APEC summit have helped to produce a consensus on furthering China-Japan relations.   Nearly 100 guests attended the luncheon. This luncheon was co-hosted by the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre.

The Better Hong Kong Foundation’s Executive Director, Ms. Karen Tang was invited by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences as a speaker and moderator at a seminar on “The Interactive Relationship between Shanghai and Hong Kong in the Changing Economy”. Ms. Tang gave a speech on the impact of CEPA on Hong Kong and its economic relationship with the Mainland. In her speech, Ms. Tang described the economic situation after the introduction of CEPA, which reflected how CEPA benefited not only Hong Kong but also the Mainland. Such mutually beneficial relationships were anticipated to be further deepened after China’s entry into the WTO in 2007; and more collaborative platforms should be further developed between Hong Kong and Shanghai.

  The Better Hong Kong Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang was invited by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to attend the Shanghai Hong Kong Development Forum held in Shanghai on 15-16th December 2006. The theme of the forum was ‘A Comparative Study of the Competitiveness between Shanghai and Hong Kong’.    The Better Hong Kong Foundation will organize similar seminars in Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2007. Further details will be announced on our website.  

The Better Hong Kong Foundation is a supporting partner of the “Development Strategy of the Border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen” Seminar. Mr. Leung Cheuk-Fai, Deputy Director of Planning/Territorial of the Planning Department of the HKSAR Government, and the Hon. Cheung Hok-Ming, SBS, JP, member of the Legislative Council, as well as other high-ranking representatives of different fields from Hong Kong and Shenzhen presented their outlook and possible development strategies for the area.

The Better Hong Kong Foundation is one of the supporting organizations of the seminar on “Cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao in Developing the Financial Industry” organized by the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government. The purpose of this seminar was to explore the prospects for cooperation within the financial industry in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.  The Vice-mayor of Guangzhou, Mr. Chen Mingde led a delegation with officials from the related Bureau and businessmen from the financial enterprises to attend this event. During the seminar, participants were briefed on the present situation in financial services, development plans and preferential policies of Guangzhou after the introduction of the “Detailed Regulations Concerning Guangzhou’s Support of the Development of the Financial Industry” and “Administration of the Special Fund for the Development of the Financial Industry” in 2006. The Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang attended the “Cooperation among Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau in Developing Financial Industry” Seminar, which is an event supported by the Better Hong Kong Foundation Ms. Karen Tang and the Vice-mayor of Guangzhou, Mr. Chen Mingde at the seminar

The Chief Executive of HKSAR, Honourable Donald Tsang delivered his second Policy Address on 11th October 2006.  The Better Hong Kong Foundation attended a joint business community luncheon to meet with the Chief Executive. Trustees and Council Members of the Foundation took the opportunity to learn more about the initiatives put forth by the government and to express their views about the Policy Address directly to the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive of HKSAR Government Hon. Donald Tsang held a series of meetings with opinion leaders of the community to gather their views before giving his second Policy Address.  Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation represented the Foundation to meet with the Chief Executive and submitted a proposal.   The Better Hong Kong Foundation endeavours to promote Hong Kong’s development overseas and bring Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world closer together. The Foundation has proposed that the Chief Executive make good use of Hong Kong’s edge to strengthen its competitiveness, with measures that include: establishing effective and practical steps to solve Hong Kong’s environmental problems and actualize the “Action Blue Sky” campaign; developing Hong Kong as an international education hub to attract more talent and investment from around the world; assisting Hong Kong’s talent and businessmen in the search for more opportunities in the Region and on the Mainland; establishing the appropriate offices to assist Hong Kong businessmen in exploring business opportunities on the Mainland.  Most important of all, Hong Kong must maintain and strengthen its position as the gateway to China’s huge market.

The Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Hong Kong SAR, Mr. Lu Xinhua hosted a lunch for trustees and council members of The Better Hong Kong Foundation. Members of the Foundation had the opportunity to learn more about the work of the ministry and the Commissioner’s Office in Hong Kong, and were able to exchange ideas about international and local affairs with the officials, resulting in a constructive and useful lunch meeting. The Foundation will organize more activities with the MFA in the near future. Commissioner Lu Xinhua with Trustees and Council Members Commissioner Lu Xinhua exchanged views with Trustees and Council Members

The Better Hong Kong Foundation has a long and established friendship with Governor Yu which began when he was the mayor of Shenzhen. So an occasion like the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) luncheon felt more like a gathering of old friends – where the Foundation members were able to enjoy the company of Governor Yu and the Tai Yun delegation. The Foundation will continue to stay in touch with Governor Yu and the delegation, and to help promote business opportunities between Shanxi and Hong Kong. Council Members with Governor Yu Youjun (From right) Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang, Governor Yu Youjun

The 2006 China Urban Competitiveness Study (Hong Kong) was organized by The Better Hong Kong Foundation, and co-organized by the Institute of Finance and Trade Economics, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The 2006 Blue Book on China Urban Competitiveness”, the 4th annual report in the series, was published in March 2006. The project was led by Dr Ni Pengfei at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The report this year covered Hong Kong, Macau and – for the first time – nine cities in Taiwan, with contributions from about 100 scholars from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. The report identified the core advantages of 200 Chinese cities, and ranked their urban competitiveness based on various indicators. The top 20 cities were: Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Kaohsiung, Macau, Hsinchu, Chilung, Ningbo, Suzhou, Tainan, Tianjin, Xiamen, Dalian, Wuxi, Shenyang and Qingdao. The report also compared the competitiveness of 15 “Urban Clusters” (UC). The top five were: Yangtze River Delta UC, Pearl River Delta UC, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei UC, Shandong Peninsula UC, Middle and South Liaoning UC. The competitiveness of the Pearl River Delta UC, which includes Hong Kong, closely followed that of the Yangtze River Delta UC. The theme of this year’s report was “The Housing Market: The Barometer of Urban China”, and featured detailed analyses of housing markets and their impact on urban competitiveness. The report revealed that the real estate market in 35 large and medium cities was in an unhealthy state. The Hong Kong case was analyzed by Professor Shen Jianfa and his colleagues at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Due to continuous economic growth, the real estate industry in Hong Kong was strong, and real estate prices had been rising for some time, despite some fluctuations. The real estate industry made significant contributions to government revenue, GDP, employment and the financial sector. Expensive housing and office rents raised the prices of Hong Kong products and services, and labour intensive industries had to move to low-cost areas as a result. But the urban competitiveness of Hong Kong was not affected, as strong and competitive industries – such as financial, trade and logistics services – have emerged in Hong Kong since the 1980s. Without these industries and their competitiveness, high real estate prices would have affected the urban competitiveness of Hong Kong. Sustaining Hong Kong’s emergent industries was critical for it to stay competitively ahead of other cities. Foundation co-organized Institute of Finance and Trade Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese University of HK released《The 2006 Blue Book on China Urban Competitiveness》Study Dr. Ni Pengfei (first from right) presented the content of the Study