2018年4月11日 香港:中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇關於「數字絲綢之路:科技與金融的區域合作」的研討會今天在香港舉行,逾200名政、商、學界菁英參會。 此次中國日報首次攜手亞太商業論壇,擔任「數字絲綢之路:科技與金融的區域合作」研討會的合辦方,共同解讀“數位絲綢之路”。2018年亞太商業論壇是由聯合國亞太經濟與社會委員會、數碼港聯合主辦,該論壇集中探討如何透過私營企業機構主導的創新、科技及融資,以實現聯合國可持續發展目標。 絲路金融有限公司首席執行官李山博士、經濟合作與發展組織中國研究首席經濟學家瑪吉特•莫爾納博士,以及亞洲銀行創始人兼董事長溫嘉旋先生擔任是次研討會演講嘉賓,與在場嘉賓分享各自的真知灼見並展開討論。 2017年5月,習近平主席在「一帶一路」國際合作高峰論壇上,提出要堅持創新驅動發展,建設21世紀的數字絲綢之路。「數字絲綢之路」逐漸成為大眾關注的熱詞,也成為現代科技賦予「一帶一路」建設的時代主題。如今,阿里巴巴、騰訊、華為等一大批中國企業已經參與到「數字絲綢之路」的建設,正為「一帶一路」沿線國家的數字化建設發展帶來新機遇,助力「數字絲綢之路」這一構想的實施和推進。是次研討會聚焦區域貿易發展、大數據中心簡化以及供應鏈再定義三個方面,探索在「一帶一路」背景下,如何在技術和金融領域開展區域合作。 李山在會上指出,相較於經濟,金融是「一帶一路」倡議的根本與核心。我們應充分利用現代科技,即金融科技,幫助金融在「一帶一路」倡議中發揮最大的作用。他續指,許多金融專業人士認為數字金融(包括數字貨幣)是金融行業的未來發展趨勢。因此,香港作為一個金融中心,可由科技和金融領域發展數字金融。 瑪吉特•莫爾納表示,「一帶一路」倡議所說的不只是投資,還包括通過協同效應增加各國的生產力。如果可以將各國不同的法律法規協調一致,生產力就會大大增加。舉一個例子,若各國將知識產權法協調一致,一個小國家的發明者可以在其他國家把他的產品商品化,以此提高生產力。 溫嘉旋表示,數字絲綢之路成為了首個實現跨國界的實時信息與數據交流的方式,有利於加強「一帶一路」沿線國家的數字基礎設施建設,希望將來也能幫助相關國家設立一個交易管治系統。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、Facebook、Twitter、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平台,全媒體用戶總數累計約7,200萬;期均發行量超過90萬份,其中海外60萬份;網站日均訪問量(PV)超過5,200萬,全球移動用戶端用戶達700萬;在海外,通過每月發行500余萬份海外供版的《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美國《華爾街日報》和《華盛頓郵報》、英國《每日電訊報》、法國《費加羅報》、泰國《民族報》、俄羅斯《俄羅斯報》、日本《每日新聞》等美、歐、亞主流讀者群。 「中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇」旨在搭建一個由亞洲國家和地區的政、商、學界領袖和社會精英參與的高端對話和交流平台,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、產業和社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論和分享見解,以增進中國與亞洲和西方國家的交流和理解。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-04-11The significance of the digital connection in the China-led Belt and Road Initiative came into sharp focus on Wednesday as pundits deliberated on the new concept in exploring deeper regional economic cooperation among the Belt and Road countries. At a special session co-organized by China Daily and the Asia-Pacific Business Forum, which was held in Hong Kong for the first time, panelists harped on the advent of the digital age and development as the vital link for infrastructure building in countries and regions along the Belt and Road. “The Belt and Road has been one of the key topics we’ve covered in our publications and discussed at our roundtable events. This session is special because it focuses on the Digital Silk Road,” said Zhou Li, editorial board member of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, in remarks at the session themed “Digital Silk Road: Fostering Regional Cooperation in Technology and Finance for the Belt and Road Initiative”. Zhou, who had just returned from the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia, recounted President Xi Jinping’s keynote address at the Boao conference on Tuesday, in which the president stressed that the Belt and Road may be China’s idea, but the opportunities and outcome are for the world. The digital connection in the region, sparked by the initiative, is just as vital in linking it as the vast infrastructure building required. Xi had proposed constructing the Digital Silk Road of the 21st Century at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May last year. Li Shan, chief executive officer of Silk Road Finance Corporation, pointed out that the Digital Silk Road is just an evolution of a historical concept. “The Belt and Road is based on the legendary history of the Silk Road. But now, we are trading more than silk and no longer using camels. Rather, we are using fintech to digitize modern finance,” Li said at the panel discussion. Carson Wen, founder and chairman of Bank of Asia, British Virgin Islands and BOA Financial Group, reminded the audience that digital development is one of the pillars of the Belt and Road Initiative. “There are over 2 billion people with phones but no bank accounts. This is a chance for financial inclusion for everyone,” he said. “The initiative covers more than 65 countries and counting. We need to figure how to remove the barriers between them through the use of modern tech,” Li chipped in. But, that could be a problem as the digitization gap remains wide, both within China itself and the region. Margit Molnar, chief China economist for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, cited smart manufacturing (defined as when more than half of the manufacturing process is digitized) as an example of that gap. Her study on smart manufacturing in China found there was significant room for growth in the western part of the country, with less than 9 percent of companies adopting it in provinces ranging from Jiangsu in eastern-central China to Yunnan in the far southwest. Molnar pointed there’re a few challenges in changing that. “Firstly, the layout of infrastructure is very costly. From my understanding, three of the major mobile network companies in China are investing about $180 billion in optical fiber for 5G connections,” she said, while acknowledging that the Belt and Road Initiative could play a part in addressing that. “Secondly, we need a regulatory framework that provides a consensus for taxes and covers the transfer of data in the networks as it grows,” Molnar added. This could be likened to something like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which will come into effect on May 25. Li did point out the need for that regulation to be innovation friendly. “Whether you are in the Silicon Valley or China, innovative solutions emerge quickly. The question is how established the regulatory frameworks are to handle them. Regulators need to be open minded enough to not hold back innovation,” he said. One of Li’s suggestions for smoother cooperation among the Belt and Road countries and regions is the introduction of a single crypto-currency. But, he acknowledged the difficulties in moving that forward due to regulators’ reluctance to take the potential risks. Wen proposed the concept of a “sandbox” or a testing ground for regulators to get comfortable with the idea and sort out any possible teething issues. Li reckoned that Hong Kong might be a good fit for testing out any financial innovations, given its strong background in this sector. “China is celebrating four decades of success since its initial reform. Shenzhen was its initial ‘sandbox’ for its experiments in manufacturing and capitalism before. Hong Kong could step into the same role and reap the benefits of it,” Li said. Another issue Molnar raised is the need for talent to handle the digital side of things. Her study on skills among graduates found that the biggest deficiency was in computer programming. “That could be the biggest bottleneck in the plan for digitalization,” she said. Wen, however, said countries like the British Virgin Islands are already addressing that issue. “The Minister of Culture for the British Virgin Islands told me they will be introducing two new subjects in schools — Chinese language and coding. Coding is a subject that should be taught in many countries,” he said. Ultimately, Molnar said it’s important to think of the Belt and Road as an ever evolving concept. “The countries covered and the scope of the initiative has changed and evolved with time,” she said. “When talking about the initiative, I always like to emphasize productivity and growth effect. Not just infrastructure that will add to capital stock. We need to talk more about the harmonization of cooperation in these areas too.” Meruyert Rysbekova, chief expert at the Department of Tech and Innovative Development, Ministry of Investments and Development of Kazakhstan, who also attended the panel discussion, summed it up as “crucial.” “Digitalization is everywhere now, from finance to every other thing. With more than 65 countries involved in the Belt and Road and varying levels of development between them, there are bound to be challenges and stumbling blocks ahead,” she said. “This is a digital world we’re living in and it’s important to remember that what we’re discussing here is about the present, not just the future.”
2018-04-11The financial industry and technology innovation will take the lead in leveraging the opportunities created for Hong Kong by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, reckons Zhang Yuge, director of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute. The financial sector remains Hong Kong’s core competitiveness and will be the first to be focused on, he told China Daily in an interview ahead of the China Daily Roundtable, themed “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area: Prospects for Hong Kong”, which was held as part of the 11th Asian Financial Forum in the SAR on Tuesday. Asked how he thought such new opportunities could be seized upon, Zhang noted there’re still certain financial regulatory curbs on the mainland, and Hong Kong could seek to have some of them removed in the bay area. This would offer fresh opportunities for traditional financial institutions in the SAR, such as insurance and banking service providers, as all their products are still very competitive and irreplaceable in the area. However, he cited the challenge brought about by internet-based financial tools that have become increasingly popular in Guangdong province, and this is one aspect Hong Kong’s financial institutions should work on. Technology innovation, he said, is another key industry that’s most promising, and Hong Kong’s big advantage is its research and development capability. Hong Kong has attracted many of the world’s high-end R&D (research and development) resources, not mentioning its own world-class universities. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched its first overseas Innovation Node in Hong Kong, while Karolinska Institute — a medical university from Sweden with a 200-year history — set up its first overseas branch at Hong Kong Science Park. Zhang said they’ve chosen Hong Kong because of the city’s comprehensive institutional and legal environment, high level of internationalization and solid protection of intellectual property. But, they’re also eyeing the mainland market as the bay area’s development could integrate Hong Kong’s R&D ability with Guangdong’s market and industrial support. He stressed that the Lok Ma Chau Loop is key to such fusion. “The loop could become the starting point for Hong Kong and Shenzhen to jointly build an innovation corridor along the Shenzhen River.” This can link the development of the northeastern part of Hong Kong with Shenzhen’s Futian and Nanshan districts, which house a cluster of high-tech startups and companies, he said. Under an agreement unveiled last year, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will jointly develop an 87-hectare innovation and technology park at the Lok Ma Chau Loop. The first parcel of land is expected to be ready for construction by 2021. Referring to a comprehensive national science center being planned in the development blueprint of the bay area, Zhang suggested that it should be set up it in the technology park, bridging high-tech resources on both sides. So far, the central government has approved three of such centers nationwide — in Beijing, Shanghai and Hefei, capital city of Anhui province — with investment in each project worth tens of billions of yuan. grace@chinadailyhk.com
2018-01-17Banks in Hong Kong will support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through innovative financing models — accounts receivable financing and supply-chain financing — which may break new ground for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, according to a DBS banker. Hong Kong is favored by diversified corporates in the bay area for its convenience in asset fi nancing. Large and mid-cap corporates also prefer to set up trading centers in the city as the stepping stone to international development, says Ginger Cheng, who heads DBS’ institutional banking group for large and mid-cap corporates. However, for most SMEs, asset fi nancing seems a large problem, but is in demand. The lack of background information and poor credit rating makes it hard for them to win the trust from banks, she said. She proposed that accounts receivable financing and supply chain financing models be used to solve the problem. DBS will approach suppliers of major clients and target them as potential SME clients. SME clients can use their outstanding invoices or money owed by large corporates as collateral to get accounts. After that, the bank will keep supporting clients of SMEs in other financing deals. “These financing models combine the business for large corporates and that for SMEs, and help build a database of all related trustworthy SMEs,” said Cheng. “At the same time, these corporates shall be located close to each other for geographical convenience. If they are all in the bay area, it will become a good model and lead the trend.” However, all these fi nancial service models and products need e-platforms to support them, especially in the bay area, a place in a strong fi nancial technology atmosphere. “In terms of financing services, now the policy in Hong Kong is not very encouraging for innovation,” Cheng said. She thought the SAR has to catch up a little bit in the fintech field. On the other hand, she expected Hong Kong to take up this opportunity because the city has the advantage in policy flexibility. As policies on the mainland and in Hong Kong are a little different, Cheng mentioned three important aspects for the bay area — the fl ow of capital, flow of talents and the flow of goods. “I believe the policy for capital will be relaxed in the bay area, but it will take time. Also, it will be easier for talents from different places to work in each other’s city. In terms of goods, having a number of harbors and airports represents the strength of the bay area,” she said. She expects “all flowers to bloom together” in the bay area as every city plays its own role well.
2018-01-17The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area is already one of the most significant epicenters of economic output in the world, with enormous manufacturing capacity, rapidly growing financial centers and a huge talent pool. Leveraging the different strengths of the cluster of 11 cities in the bay area is key to achieving the region’s overall prosperity, panelists told a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable on “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area: Prospects for Hong Kong”, which was held as part of the 11th Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The bay area covers more than 56,000 square kilometers — larger than both the Greater Tokyo Area and the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 67 million people spread across nine cities and two special administrative regions. With 1 percent of China’s land area, it recorded a GDP of US$1.3 trillion last year — 13 percent of the country’s total. “The bay area is a national level strategy but different from other strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Zhang Yuge, director at the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies of Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute. “It still has room for growth in terms of GDP per capita, tertiary industry ratio, the number of top global enterprises, as well as the cultivation of innovation in comparison with other developed bay areas worldwide.” “The biggest, most important and most urgent problem to solve is the free flow of key elements in the bay area,” he said. Solving these issues will be key to Hong Kong reaping the most benefits from the area’s growth. And, the key elements at play — the ones that need to move most freely — are talent and capital. Attracting more capital to the area is an important challenge that must be addressed quickly, said Zhang. “SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in China have a lot of challenges when it comes to borrowing money from external sources,” said Susie Cheung, founder member and co-convenor of the Asia-Pacific Structured Finance Association. “Securitization is not the only means, but it’s an effective means to bring in capital.” “For the enterprises in the bay area, the infrastructure projects need to attract revenue from institutional investors. We need to build up a pipeline of well-prepared bankable projects,” she said. In this push to attract more capital and talent, Hong Kong could play a critical role in being the undisputed financial leader in the region. “Hong Kong is a world-class financial center. Among the 11 cities involved in this initiative, Hong Kong stands out in terms of its capabilities in the financing arena, in equity financing and debt financing,” said Jing Ulrich, managing director and vice-chairman of Asia Pacific at JPMorgan Chase. “Hong Kong can really become a leading financier for southern Chinese companies.” Ulrich noted that more than half of the companies listed on the Hong Kong stock market at present are of mainland background. The mainland’s exposure to debt financing has also been increasing, accounting for over 30 percent of the total assets of Hong Kong-based banks. A super-connected city On top of being a leader in finance, Hong Kong is super-connected, has advanced and reliable technology with good ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure, and also is home to many world-class accounting and legal professionals. “Hong Kong can become an important knowledge hub, not just a financing center in the bay area,” said Ulrich. Besides Hong Kong, Shenzhen’s rapid development has impressed the world. The city’s GDP has surpassed that of Hong Kong and Guangzhou. “There’s some healthy competition as well among the bay area cities,” Ulrich added. “Hong Kong needs to work harder to avoid being marginalized. Ginger Cheng, managing director and head of large and mid-cap corporates, institutional banking group, at DBS Bank (China) Ltd, told the forum: “This is an area where we’ve already seen rapid development in the past 20 years leveraging China’s open-door policy. This is the most market-driven area in all of China.” “It’s evidenced by how the privately-owned enterprises in the region developed in the past year and have become global players,” she said. Cheng thinks that a market-oriented culture is an asset for the bay area, and Hong Kong could tap into that. “Hong Kong is already a leader in providing products and services to large companies via an equity capital market and offshore bond offering,” she added. This year alone, the total bond issuance of mainland corporates reached a historical high of US$168 billion — almost doubled that of US$88 billion in 2016. “Hong Kong probably needs to think of more innovative financing products and solutions for SMEs in China, as well as startups,” said Cheng. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing — the city’s stock market operator — has already made some progress by moving toward allowing biotech and healthcare companies without profit track records to be listed in the local stock market. “Hong Kong took up half of the imports of the bay area in the past three years, and the bay area took up about 60 to 70 percent of the total imports of China. This is a huge asset,” said HNA Innovation Finance Group’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ding Lei. “The ratios for export are relatively lower but increasing.” “With such a huge imports and exports size, there’s still a lot of space for development based on commodities, warehousing and logistics that are related to the real economy,” said Ding. A challenge, however, will be fostering innovation, particularly in Hong Kong. “I see a lot of new talents and capital flowing into Shenzhen or Zhuhai very quickly. It’s easy to find human resources in these cities, but the policy is a bit tighter in Hong Kong for the financial industry,” said Ding. “Although the Hong Kong government is trying to push innovation in the city, there’s not much support.” Strengths and weaknesses Hong Kong does have a lot of strength that places it in a good position to attract talents and innovation. But, it also has weaknesses. “Hong Kong’s No 1 weakness is its high cost,” said Ulrich. “Doing business in Hong Kong is very expensive. To attract the necessary talents into Hong Kong, the government can do more by offering attractive prices for entrepreneurs and startups.” Ulrich further pointed out that improving education in Hong Kong is another way to enlarge the local talent pool. “There needs to be a more effective coordination mechanism for the 11 cities,” she said. “We have three different currencies, three different customs, different immigration policies and different divisions of government. The central government can help coordinate the efforts in the bay area to make the movement of professionals much more expedient.” “The integration of employment can be achieved by improving the commuter system of the metropolitan area and the custom clearance policy,” said Zhang. Ding also said mainland conglomerate HNA will expand its operations in the bay area as it offers great opportunities for bulk commodities trading, warehousing and logistics. The financial arm of HNA, which has diversified interests in aviation, tourism and real estate, was launched in Hong Kong in March this year, principally engaged in commodity trade, financial investment and consumer finance which, Ding believes, has huge potential and can play a key part in promoting internationalization of the yuan. In less than one year since its launch, HNA Innovation Finance Group has sealed two deals. In March, it entered into an agreement to acquire a 51-per cent equity interest in Swiss commodities trader Glencore’s oil products storage and logistics business for US$775 million. It also agreed to acquire Singaporean logistics firm CWT in a US$1-billion takeover late last year. The group is still looking for other merger-and-acquisition opportunities in areas linked to its core business, Ding said. Such acquisition plans are in line with the nation’s strategy, he said, and the group wants to use its strengths to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, the bay area development and renminbi internationalization.
2018-01-1716 Jan 2018, Hong Kong: Co-organized by Asian Financial Forum and China Daily, a co-branded session on “Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area: Prospects for Hong Kong” held from 09:45-10:45 on Jan 16, 2018. This marks the 7th consecutive year that China Daily has been positioned as Media Partner for this most influential industry event. China Daily is delighted to have five distinguished speakers: Ms. Ginger CHENG, Managing Director, Head, Large and Mid-cap Corporates, Institutional Banking Group, DBS Bank (China) Limited; Ms. Susie CHEUNG, Founder Member and Co-Convenor, Asia-Pacific Structured Finance Association; Mr. DING Lei, Chief Innovation Officer, HNA Innovation Finance Group; Ms. Jing ULRICH, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific, JP Morgan Chase & Co.; and Mr. ZHANG Yuge, Director, Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, China Development Institute. Ms. Ginger CHENG said that Hong Kong needs to think about how we can catch the flow of capital, the flow of talents and the flow goods. Then use the Great Bay Area initiative as a stepping-stone to further develop Hong Kong. In terms of financing services, now the policy is not very encouraging for innovations. That is what Hong Kong needs to catch up a little bit. Ms. Susie CHEUNG said that small and medium-sized enterprises on Chinese mainland have faced quite a lot of challenges when comes to borrowing money, meanwhile, large infrastructure projects are also encountered with difficulties of fund raising. Many of them are tapping into the capital market through securitization, Hong Kong, as an international financial hub with its professionals, should provide help and support for these SMEs and infrastructure projects to raise fund, particularly for those in the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area and those that related to the “Belt and Road” initiative. Mr. DING Lei said that if we look at the import and export for the past three years, Hong Kong takes half of the import in Bay Area, and the bay area import accounts for 60 to 70 percent of total imports in China. Given the sheer size of exports and imports, there are much room we can tapped into based on commodity trading, warehousing and logistics, which are most related to the real economy. Ms. Jing ULRICH said that as mainland is challenging Unite States in many areas now in terms of technology innovation, cloud computing and AI. Greater bay area can plays to its strengthen by becoming a key technology hub in this new initiative called digital belt and road. Mr. ZHANG Yuge said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area is central government’s policy arrangement to allow Hong Kong and Macao better exploring the market in Guangdong province. Chinese mainland markets are still partially limited from Hong Kong services industry, and the Bay Area is the special policy arrangement that lift these limitations. With the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge due to start carrying traffic in early 2018, the Pearl River Delta region will move towards a balanced and integrated development, elevating the Greater Bay Area economy to a new level, and with the development of the Greater Bay Area increasingly becoming the focus of attention. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) emphasized the need to support the integration of Hong Kong and Macao into the country’s overall development, and has given greater confidence to the development of Hong Kong and Macao. As the Greater Bay Area evolves and powers the country’s economy through a new platform for financial cooperation, Hong Kong is working to position as a “Finance-Plus-Innovation” hub. The Greater Bay Area has given enormous opportunities for Hong Kong, which is poised to benefit from the bright future arising from the bay area’s development. The seminar explored how Hong Kong’s financial sector can leverage on the opportunities that the Greater Bay Area offers to achieve greater regional integration and faster growth. Industry gurus shared their thoughts and first-hand experience on the hot topic with more than 200 delegates. About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation, and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to economic, business and social development in Asia. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia. Media Contact: Ms. Melody Hong Tel: (852) 3465 5427 Email: melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-01-162018年1月16日,香港:中國日報今日在香港舉行題為「粵港澳大灣區:香港的發展機遇」的亞洲領袖圓桌論壇專題研討會,探討香港金融業如何把握「粵港澳大灣區」帶來的發展機遇,實現區域一體化及加快經濟增長。本次研討會是中國日報第七次與亞洲金融論壇合作,吸引逾200名政、商、學界領軍人物參加。 星展銀行(中國)有限公司企業及機構銀行部董事總經理兼中國區大型及中型企業主管鄭思禎、亞太結構融資公會聯席召集人及創會成員張秀芬、海航創新金融集團創新總裁丁磊、摩根大通董事總經理兼亞太地區副主席李晶、中國(深圳)綜合開發研究院港澳經濟社會研究中心主任張玉閣受邀擔任本次研討會演講嘉賓。 鄭思禎表示,香港需要思考如何通過資本流通、人才流通和貨物流通,在「粵港澳大灣區」戰略中得到進一步發展。她認為,香港應該在金融服務創新領域迎頭趕上。 張秀芬表示,中國的中小企業面臨著融資困難的情況,不少企業已通過證券化途徑從資本市場融資。而香港作為國際金融中心,擁有大量專業人才,理應為這些企業和相關項目提供融資上服務,尤其是針對「粵港澳大灣區」以及「一帶一路」建設的相關項目。 丁磊表示,在過去的三年裡,香港占有「大灣區」一半的進口量,而「大灣區」的出口量在全國的占比為60%至70%。如此大體量的進出口貿易,給香港的大宗商品貿易、物流倉儲等都帶來很多商機。 李晶表示,目前中國內地科技創新、雲計算、人工智能等方面都可與美國比肩,「大灣區」應該充分利用這些優勢打造「科技灣區」,這也與「數字一帶一路」理念相契合。 張玉閣認為,将「粵港澳大灣區」與紐約、舊金山、倫敦的灣區相比較,「粵港澳大灣區」在人口、本地生產總值以及其占全國的比重上都是頗具規模,「粵港澳大灣區」絕對稱得上是世界級灣區。他表示,「粵港澳大灣區」已經上升到國家層面,由中央政府統籌協調,區內各城市共同推動區域發展,這些優勢與要素為「大灣區」的長遠規劃和發展都起到重要的作用。 當前,「粵港澳大灣區」的發展愈發成為各界關注的焦點。中國共產黨十九大報告強調,要支持港澳融入國家發展大局,這為港澳發展指明了方向。隨著港珠澳大橋通車在即,珠三角東西區域將走向平衡、融合發展,「大灣區」經濟將邁向新臺階。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平臺,全媒體用戶總數累計約7200萬;期均發行量超過90萬份,其中海外60萬份;網站日均訪問量(PV)超過5200萬,全球移動用戶端用戶達700萬;在海外,通過每月發行500餘萬份海外供版的《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美、歐、亞主流讀者群。 「中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇」旨在搭建一個由亞洲國家和地區政、商、學界領袖和社會精英參與的高端對話交流平臺,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、貿易和社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論並分享見解,以增進中國與世界的交流和理解。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-01-16The latest China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable event — the Belt and Road Networking Reception — united a diverse group of attendees, perhaps reflective of the namesake initiative’s broad ripple effect. “As we all know too well, this is a time of huge uncertainties...Should one opt for openness or isolation, cooperation or confrontation?” said Zhou Li, editorial board member of the China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific. China believes in creating a shared future for mankind and President Xi Jinping’s 2013 Belt and Road Initiative is a huge step in that direction, he said. Consul general at the consulate general of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Abdul Qadir Memon, highlighted the connection aspect of the initiative. “The Belt and Road Initiative is more than just about building infrastructure, but also realizing President Xi’s vision of economic cooperation for all participating countries to realize their full potential,” Memon said. “It’s a catalyst for bringing about more people and people interaction.” The event, held in the Oasis room of the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel, saw consul generals in Hong Kong, CEOs and around 200 C-level senior executives from Fortune Global 500 and China 500 companies, think tanks, academics and media practitioners from public and private sectors across Asia come together under the umbrella of the ambitious Chinese initiative. Initiative impact As revealed by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the opening of the Symposium on International Developments and China’s Diplomacy 2017 earlier this month, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organizations, conducted institutionalized cooperation on industrial capacity with more than 30 nations, and built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries under the initiative’s framework. Wang also said Chinese businesses have invested over $50 billion and created nearly 200,000 local jobs in countries along the Belt and Road route. It’s one thing reading about the initiative’s impressive facts and ever growing figures, it’s another hearing about how it has changed the region. Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, spoke of how another major initiative — the Greater Bay Area initiative — feeds into the Belt and Road. He highlighted how related infrastructure, like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Boundary Crossing Point, will open up opportunities by facilitating flow between the SAR and the mainland. “Hong Kong should seize the opportunities provided by the Belt and Road through the Greater Bay Area,” Cheung said. Tengku Dato’ Sirajuzzaman bin Tengku Mohamed Ariffin, consul general at the Consulate General of Malaysia in the Hong Kong SAR, told China Daily the initiative has been instrumental in getting ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) infrastructure projects off the ground and running. “The initiative has blown some extra wind in the sails for projects like the high speed rail from Singapore to Kunming, particularly in the areas of funding and expertise” he said. He added that Malaysia could and wants to play a role in connecting 15 Islamic countries along the Belt and Road through Islamic finance and halal food. Even far flung allies chimed in with their say. “New Zealand was the first Western country to sign a Belt and Road agreement,” said David Whitwam, chairman of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He believes that New Zealand, although far away from the immediate geographic circle, will a play a role in the Belt and Road, particularly with regard to the food supply chain in the countries involved in the project. Nicholas de Loisy, president of Supply Chain Management Outsource, says the Belt and Road has been particularly helpful in opening up big project opportunities for corporations. His Hong Kong-based logistics company counts two big projects related to the initiative under its own belt. Media magic Media magic The role of media outlets like China Daily Asia Weekly, which celebrated its seventh anniversary at the event, was also spoken highly of in terms of promoting the initiative. “The media has been very important in spotlighting our efforts in the race to build infrastructure,” said Sirajuzzaman. “Media coverage highlights important considerations for these projects,” he added. One such example would be the recent China Daily Red Letter Project, which was a live stream on Facebook that brought viewers into road congestion at its worst in seven Asian metropolises. “In an increasingly-digitalized media age, we brought the issue of traffic congestion into the consideration of over 10,000 viewers through that experimental live stream project,” said Zhou. The four-and-a-half-hour long broadcast also attracted input from viewers across the region, who were probably also stuck in traffic as they tuned in. “What China Daily hopes is to provide a platform for such dialogue, especially as the Belt and Road grows,” Zhou added. Speech from Zhou Li, publisher of China Daily Asia Pacific Honorable Chief Secretary for Administration Mr Matthew Cheung, honorable consuls-general, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: Good evening! Thank you all for joining us today. The coming of the New Year brings a time for renewal of old friendships and forging new ones. It’s also a time to embrace the spirit of universal goodwill. As we all know too well, this is a time of huge uncertainties. In politics, economics, at the corporate level, in matters of forging business ties — as indeed in our relationships with each other — we are often faced with the big question mark. Should one opt for openness or isolation, cooperation or confrontation? The choices we make now will determine the lives we and the younger generations are going to lead in the future. China’s stance is clear in this respect. It was evident at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October. China believes it is essential to advance peace, development and cooperation between countries, foster a new inclusive form of international relations and build a community with the goal of creating a shared future for mankind. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, is a huge step forward in that direction. President Xi conceived of an economic model that supports much of the world’s shared desire for accelerated development. This might sound a bit idealistic but I do believe it’s possible to achieve by pooling together our resources and fostering a culture of pursuing shared benefits through collaboration. And there are already instances of the initiative translating into action with real benefits delivered. Naturally, Hong Kong, with all its talent, expertise, locational advantages and supernetwork across the world, is already a vital link in this international community. We expect to hear more on this from our esteemed Chief Secretary for Administration a moment later. China Daily also has a role in this ambitious enterprise to bring the world closer. Our job is to help add clarity to the understanding of what might look like bumps along the road. We look to find common ground and bring these to the attention of our readers. Our publication, China Daily Asia Weekly, now in its seventh year, is already reaching beyond the borders, having become the most widely distributed regional publication in Asia. Meanwhile, all of us at China Daily Asia Pacific are gearing up to take on the challenges of an increasingly digitalized media age. Last week, in cooperation with our Asia News Network partners, we got right out into the traffic in seven of Asia’s most congested cities, during the morning rush hour. The live-streaming, hosted from our Hong Kong studio, and featuring expert analysis, drew tens of thousands of viewers over four hours. Efforts such as these are directed at finding solutions to make our lives a little easier. And one of the ways of doing that is to try and build understanding and trust through dialogue. As China reaches out to the rest of the world, we are happy to provide a platform to foster such dialogues. Today we’re not just offering our hands to you but in fact we’re ready to welcome you with open arms. This is the spirit with which we greet you today. You have honored us greatly by your presence here. Let’s get to know each other. Enjoy yourselves. Happy New Year! Well-developed infrastructure is a critical factor that enables Hong Kong to capture the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative in the Greater Bay Area development and sustain our economic growth and strength. It will also enhance Hong Kong’s connectivity with the mainland by boosting exchanges between Hong Kong and major mainland cities that will create complementary advantages. Hong Kong is often described as having the best of both worlds under the “one country, two systems” principle. Under “one country”, we receive preferential treatment and investment facilitation. Under “two systems”, we are able to maintain our way of life and the rule of law here. That’s why Hong Kong has all along played an important role in linking the mainland with other parts of the world, as well as serving as the gateway for overseas businesses entering the mainland and Asia. The Belt and Road Initiative will create an environment for the region to realize its true economic and trade potential and usher in a new era of progress and development. By developing the land and maritime linkages, the Belt and Road Initiative will be a catalyst to help bring more people-to-people interaction which, we believe, is essential for global peace and stability. Pakistan and China have a very special relationship, with both counties working together for regional economic development, peace and stability. The China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Agreement was followed by the Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, which was signed during the recent ASEAN Summit in Manila. This is testimony to the fruitful bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Malaysia.
2017-12-21Dec 20, 2017 Hong Kong: China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable held a Belt and Road Networking Reception from 17:15-20:00 on December 20. Mr. Matthew CHEUNG Kin-chung, GBM, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; TENGKU Dato' Sirajuzzaman, Consul-General, Consulate General of Malaysia in the HKSAR & Macau SAR; Mr. Abdul Qadir MEMON, Consul-General, Consulate-General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the HKSAR & Macau SAR; Consul-Generals from more than 27 countries, as well as more than 200 delegates attended the reception. Mr. Matthew CHEUNG Kin-chung said that, well developed infrastructure is a critical factor that enabling Hong Kong to capture opportunities arising from the “Belt and Rad” initiative in the Bay Area development to sustain our economic growth and strength. Enhancing Hong Kong’s connectivity with the mainland through boosting exchanges between Hong Kong and major mainland cities to forge development of complementary advantages. TENGKU Dato' Sirajuzzaman said that, China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Agreement was followed by Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, which was just signed during the recent ASEAN Summit in Manila. This is a testimony to the fruitful bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Malaysia. Mr. Abdul Qadir MEMON said that, “Belt and Road” initiative will create an enabling environment for the region to realize its true economic and trade potential and usher into a new era of progress and development. By developing the land and maritime linkages, the belt and road initiative will be a catalyst to help bring more people to people interaction which we believe is essential for global peace and stability. Pakistan and China have a very special relationship where both countries are working together for regional, economic development, peace and stability. In his report to the recent 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping referred to the Belt and Road Initiative five times as a magnificent blueprint for boosting the economic development of all the countries and regions involved. The Belt and Road Initiative is not just about trade and investment but also cultural exchanges. A source at the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China has said that, over the past four years, economic and trade cooperation among the Belt and Road countries and regions has been further strengthened for mutual benefit in various fields, and the degree of cooperation has been continuously enhanced. “Made in China” products , the use of Chinese skills and technology in the construction sector and Chinese services have been popular among more countries along the Belt and Road route, while more and more products, services, technologies and capital from these countries have flowed into China. According to an official from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese mainland has, to date, signed more than 300 cooperation agreements and plans for cultural exchanges with the participating nations, and has established multilateral cultural cooperation mechanisms with East European and Arab countries, plus member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation, and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to economic, business and social development in Asia. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia. Media Contact: Ms. Melody Hong Tel: (852) 3465 5427 Email: melody@chinadailyhk.com
2017-12-20中國日報香港12月20日電:中國日報今天在香港舉辦「駐港總領事暨商界代表交流會」,探討香港如何在「一帶一路」和「粵港澳大灣區」建設中發揮獨特優勢,進一步深化合作等前景。香港特區政府政務司司長張建宗發表主題演講,來自27國駐港領事,以及香港政商學界逾200名嘉賓出席。 巴基斯坦駐港澳總領事阿巴杜•卡迪爾•梅蒙、馬來西亞駐港澳總領事登姑拿督希拉祖紮曼作為駐港總領事的代表致辭。 張建宗司長在主題演講中表示,良好的基建設施讓香港能夠抓住「一帶一路」和「粵港澳大灣區」建設中的機遇,也使得香港可以實現經濟的持續發展。通過刺激香港與內地各城市之間的互聯互通,相信兩地必定可以實現優勢互補。 他認為,在「一國兩制」框架下,香港將長期享有兼並中西的優勢:在「一國」方面,香港特區享有中央政府給予的優惠政策和投資便利;在「兩制」安排下,香港的法制與生活方式得以保留。因此,香港始終扮演著連接中國內地與世界的重要角色,並成為海外企業和資本進入內地市場的關鍵門戶。 巴基斯坦駐港澳總領事阿巴杜•卡迪爾•梅蒙在致辭中說,習近平主席提出的「一帶一路」倡議已經獲得包括巴基斯坦在內的眾多國家積極響應,這一倡議並不僅僅關乎道路、橋梁等基礎設施建設,更是習主席為沿線國家經貿合作創造雙贏局面的美好願景與路線圖。 「通過加強陸路與海路連同,『一帶一路』將成為各國人民互動往來的催化劑,這對世界和平穩定至關重要,」他說。 梅蒙總領事呼籲香港企業家到巴基斯坦投資、經商、生產,並參與到「一帶一路」在當地的建設中。 馬來西亞駐港澳總領事登姑拿督希拉祖紮曼注意到,中國政府正在著力打造「粵港澳大灣區」,港珠澳大橋即將通車,各條高鐵線路也正在鋪開,這些基礎設施建設項目都顯示出中國的雄心壯志。馬來西亞非常樂於與中國在有關領域進行合作。 他表示,香港特區政府與東盟今年簽署了自由貿易協定以及相關投資協定,中國與馬來西亞的商貿往來也日益頻繁,這都是中國內地和香港與東盟經貿合作碩果累累的最好證明。 中國日報社編委兼亞太分社社長周立表示,今年10月召開的中國共產黨第十九次全國代表大會,表明了中國應對這個動蕩的時代各種挑戰的鮮明立場,那就是高舉和平、發展、合作、共贏旗幟,推動構建新型國際關系,從而推動構建人類命運共同體。 周立表示,中國日報願意在促進「一帶一路」沿線國家交流中扮演更重要的角色,這也是舉辦本次交流會的初衷。中國日報樂於為有關各方提供溝通的平臺,因為只有對話與互動才能促進理解與包容。 「只要我們加強合作,整合資源,以共同利益為目標,『一帶一路』願景就可以實現,」他說,「事實表明,這一重大倡議已經開始開花結果。」 活動現場,中國日報向各國駐港領事、參會嘉賓等贈送了英文版《習近平談治國理政》(第二卷),反響熱烈。 活動介紹了中國日報進行「全球首次通過手機和社交平臺實況連線直播亞洲七大城市早高峰」的情況。 交流會上還舉行了祝酒儀式,慶祝中國日報亞洲版創刊七周年。 五年來,「一帶一路」建設穩步推進,相關沿線國家積極參與,多個重大合作基建項目已經開始實施。中國日報主辦此次交流會,旨在為各國駐港領事館、香港各商會、行業協會、學者以及社會各界領軍力量,架起交流信息與探討合作的橋梁,共同開創「一帶一路」國際合作美好未來,攜手推進經貿與文化交流,期化美好願景為現實,實現更廣範圍以及更高水平的合作共贏。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平臺,全媒體用戶總數累計約7200萬;期均發行量超過90萬份,其中海外60萬份;網站日均訪問量(PV)超過5200萬,全球移動用戶端用戶達700萬;在海外,通過每月發行500餘萬份海外供版的《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美國《華爾街日報》和《華盛頓郵報》、英國《每日電訊報》、法國《費加羅報》、泰國《民族報》、俄羅斯《俄羅斯報》、日本《每日新聞》等美、歐、亞主流讀者群。 「中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇」致力於為亞洲國家和地區的政、商、學界領袖和社會精英搭建對話和交流的平臺,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論,以增進中國與世界各國的交流和理解。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2017-12-20Within 10 years’ time, more than half of the films shown in the rapid developing Chinese market will be based on existing novels or intellectual property, like what is happening in Hollywood now, according to Ma Zhongjun, chairman and president of Ciwen Media, a Beijing-based Chinese broadcaster. At the same time, the film production company will no longer rely too heavily on star power to promote films, and will gradually focus on playwriting, production and issuing in a process to cement the industry’s entire value. “Currently, the value of the industry can only be seen from famous movie stars, but as the market continues to develop, the industry, as a whole, will show its value,” he said. “Although IP is becoming more and more important for the film industry, the movie industry is more than IP.” Besides adaptation, Ma emphasized that original screen writing is absolutely necessary but, to be frank, it will be harder and harder to nurture a new IP for film production companies. The competition among film production companies in future will depend on a company’s ability to repackage the original contents for other sectors, such as turning online novels into films and games. But, on the other hand, the successful adaptation of novels also depends on the original contents and the authors’ popularity among movie fans, so it’s a win-win situation. The market’s reliance on film stars has resulted in skyrocketing salaries for top film stars in China, as the country’s annual box office has exploded from barely US$200 million a decade ago to a projected US$6.8 billion this year. In January, a commentary published in Party-owned newspaper People’s Daily criticized some film stars for commanding sky-high salaries without commensurate talent. China’s film, television and radio sectors issued guidelines in September to cap actors’ wages at 40 percent of a production’s total budget. With the film industry becoming more mature on the Chinese mainland, Ma believes that Chinese culture will exert greater influence on the world stage. “China is the world’s second-largest economy, but the influence of Chinese culture cannot match the status of its economy. In future, with China having a bigger say globally, I think Chinese films and stories will have much greater influence on the global market.” Statistics from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television show that China has so far translated more than 1,600 domestic movies and television productions into 36 languages, including English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese, and they are being aired in more than 100 countries. Last year, China’s exports of TV series raked in 510 million yuan (US$77.2 million), accounting for 68 percent of the total earnings from exported television contents, according to the SARFT. cherrylin@chinadailyhk.com
2017-12-08The film and television industry should pay more attention to the storylines and the value it conveys to the whole society, said Geng Xiaonan, president of Beijing Sky Saga Film and TV Culture Media. She was commenting on the common practice in the industry, where players turn to copyrighted materials for inspiration. “Among the 20 highest-grossing movies in China, 14 of them are intellectual property-adapted films,” said Geng, citing data from 2015. She said the focus in making IP-adapted films is no longer on the story itself, but more on celebrity actors, world-class director teams and even special effects to draw audience attention. But buying hit IP does not guarantee a successful adaptation. According to Chinese movie website Douban, Midnight Food Store, the Chinese-language adaptation of popular Japanese series Midnight Diner, scores only 2.8 points in public ratings. In the words of China’s film and television industry, IP refers mainly to those novels and games that have potential to be adapted into blockbuster movies and TV series. “There is a still a huge disparity between a popular IP and a blockbuster film. The industry has been focusing too much on finding the big IP that is eye-catching,” said Geng. “Some people even say the script looks more like a business plan or a financing report,” she said, adding that one cannot fully blame investors or producers for that as it is only natural to follow the market trend. It is time for the industry to cool down on the craze on big IPs, and return to the essence of film and TV production — which is to offer better stories, directings and acting performances for the audience, Geng urged. Meanwhile, she said Hong Kong will continue to have a role to play in the development of the Chinese mainland’s film and TV industry in the years to come. Working together, they can improve the whole industry. “Even though Hong Kong’s film industry is not as vibrant as it was before, it never lacks great stories and great teams.” It has been seen in recent years that IP-adapted TV series like Empresses in the Palace and the detective drama Day and Night are now popular with overseas audiences. “We still need to focus on the core value of filmmaking and TV production. It has to go along with mainstream social values.” It still has a long way to go, she said. “But, during this process of pursuing perfection, the ‘imperfect’ films that we made are even more meaningful as they show our endless efforts toward making this industry better.” kelly@chinadailyapac.com
2017-12-082018年4月11日 香港:中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇關於「數字絲綢之路:科技與金融的區域合作」的研討會今天在香港舉行,逾200名政、商、學界菁英參會。 此次中國日報首次攜手亞太商業論壇,擔任「數字絲綢之路:科技與金融的區域合作」研討會的合辦方,共同解讀“數位絲綢之路”。2018年亞太商業論壇是由聯合國亞太經濟與社會委員會、數碼港聯合主辦,該論壇集中探討如何透過私營企業機構主導的創新、科技及融資,以實現聯合國可持續發展目標。 絲路金融有限公司首席執行官李山博士、經濟合作與發展組織中國研究首席經濟學家瑪吉特•莫爾納博士,以及亞洲銀行創始人兼董事長溫嘉旋先生擔任是次研討會演講嘉賓,與在場嘉賓分享各自的真知灼見並展開討論。 2017年5月,習近平主席在「一帶一路」國際合作高峰論壇上,提出要堅持創新驅動發展,建設21世紀的數字絲綢之路。「數字絲綢之路」逐漸成為大眾關注的熱詞,也成為現代科技賦予「一帶一路」建設的時代主題。如今,阿里巴巴、騰訊、華為等一大批中國企業已經參與到「數字絲綢之路」的建設,正為「一帶一路」沿線國家的數字化建設發展帶來新機遇,助力「數字絲綢之路」這一構想的實施和推進。是次研討會聚焦區域貿易發展、大數據中心簡化以及供應鏈再定義三個方面,探索在「一帶一路」背景下,如何在技術和金融領域開展區域合作。 李山在會上指出,相較於經濟,金融是「一帶一路」倡議的根本與核心。我們應充分利用現代科技,即金融科技,幫助金融在「一帶一路」倡議中發揮最大的作用。他續指,許多金融專業人士認為數字金融(包括數字貨幣)是金融行業的未來發展趨勢。因此,香港作為一個金融中心,可由科技和金融領域發展數字金融。 瑪吉特•莫爾納表示,「一帶一路」倡議所說的不只是投資,還包括通過協同效應增加各國的生產力。如果可以將各國不同的法律法規協調一致,生產力就會大大增加。舉一個例子,若各國將知識產權法協調一致,一個小國家的發明者可以在其他國家把他的產品商品化,以此提高生產力。 溫嘉旋表示,數字絲綢之路成為了首個實現跨國界的實時信息與數據交流的方式,有利於加強「一帶一路」沿線國家的數字基礎設施建設,希望將來也能幫助相關國家設立一個交易管治系統。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、Facebook、Twitter、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平台,全媒體用戶總數累計約7,200萬;期均發行量超過90萬份,其中海外60萬份;網站日均訪問量(PV)超過5,200萬,全球移動用戶端用戶達700萬;在海外,通過每月發行500余萬份海外供版的《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美國《華爾街日報》和《華盛頓郵報》、英國《每日電訊報》、法國《費加羅報》、泰國《民族報》、俄羅斯《俄羅斯報》、日本《每日新聞》等美、歐、亞主流讀者群。 「中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇」旨在搭建一個由亞洲國家和地區的政、商、學界領袖和社會精英參與的高端對話和交流平台,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、產業和社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論和分享見解,以增進中國與亞洲和西方國家的交流和理解。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-04-11The significance of the digital connection in the China-led Belt and Road Initiative came into sharp focus on Wednesday as pundits deliberated on the new concept in exploring deeper regional economic cooperation among the Belt and Road countries. At a special session co-organized by China Daily and the Asia-Pacific Business Forum, which was held in Hong Kong for the first time, panelists harped on the advent of the digital age and development as the vital link for infrastructure building in countries and regions along the Belt and Road. “The Belt and Road has been one of the key topics we’ve covered in our publications and discussed at our roundtable events. This session is special because it focuses on the Digital Silk Road,” said Zhou Li, editorial board member of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, in remarks at the session themed “Digital Silk Road: Fostering Regional Cooperation in Technology and Finance for the Belt and Road Initiative”. Zhou, who had just returned from the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia, recounted President Xi Jinping’s keynote address at the Boao conference on Tuesday, in which the president stressed that the Belt and Road may be China’s idea, but the opportunities and outcome are for the world. The digital connection in the region, sparked by the initiative, is just as vital in linking it as the vast infrastructure building required. Xi had proposed constructing the Digital Silk Road of the 21st Century at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May last year. Li Shan, chief executive officer of Silk Road Finance Corporation, pointed out that the Digital Silk Road is just an evolution of a historical concept. “The Belt and Road is based on the legendary history of the Silk Road. But now, we are trading more than silk and no longer using camels. Rather, we are using fintech to digitize modern finance,” Li said at the panel discussion. Carson Wen, founder and chairman of Bank of Asia, British Virgin Islands and BOA Financial Group, reminded the audience that digital development is one of the pillars of the Belt and Road Initiative. “There are over 2 billion people with phones but no bank accounts. This is a chance for financial inclusion for everyone,” he said. “The initiative covers more than 65 countries and counting. We need to figure how to remove the barriers between them through the use of modern tech,” Li chipped in. But, that could be a problem as the digitization gap remains wide, both within China itself and the region. Margit Molnar, chief China economist for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, cited smart manufacturing (defined as when more than half of the manufacturing process is digitized) as an example of that gap. Her study on smart manufacturing in China found there was significant room for growth in the western part of the country, with less than 9 percent of companies adopting it in provinces ranging from Jiangsu in eastern-central China to Yunnan in the far southwest. Molnar pointed there’re a few challenges in changing that. “Firstly, the layout of infrastructure is very costly. From my understanding, three of the major mobile network companies in China are investing about $180 billion in optical fiber for 5G connections,” she said, while acknowledging that the Belt and Road Initiative could play a part in addressing that. “Secondly, we need a regulatory framework that provides a consensus for taxes and covers the transfer of data in the networks as it grows,” Molnar added. This could be likened to something like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which will come into effect on May 25. Li did point out the need for that regulation to be innovation friendly. “Whether you are in the Silicon Valley or China, innovative solutions emerge quickly. The question is how established the regulatory frameworks are to handle them. Regulators need to be open minded enough to not hold back innovation,” he said. One of Li’s suggestions for smoother cooperation among the Belt and Road countries and regions is the introduction of a single crypto-currency. But, he acknowledged the difficulties in moving that forward due to regulators’ reluctance to take the potential risks. Wen proposed the concept of a “sandbox” or a testing ground for regulators to get comfortable with the idea and sort out any possible teething issues. Li reckoned that Hong Kong might be a good fit for testing out any financial innovations, given its strong background in this sector. “China is celebrating four decades of success since its initial reform. Shenzhen was its initial ‘sandbox’ for its experiments in manufacturing and capitalism before. Hong Kong could step into the same role and reap the benefits of it,” Li said. Another issue Molnar raised is the need for talent to handle the digital side of things. Her study on skills among graduates found that the biggest deficiency was in computer programming. “That could be the biggest bottleneck in the plan for digitalization,” she said. Wen, however, said countries like the British Virgin Islands are already addressing that issue. “The Minister of Culture for the British Virgin Islands told me they will be introducing two new subjects in schools — Chinese language and coding. Coding is a subject that should be taught in many countries,” he said. Ultimately, Molnar said it’s important to think of the Belt and Road as an ever evolving concept. “The countries covered and the scope of the initiative has changed and evolved with time,” she said. “When talking about the initiative, I always like to emphasize productivity and growth effect. Not just infrastructure that will add to capital stock. We need to talk more about the harmonization of cooperation in these areas too.” Meruyert Rysbekova, chief expert at the Department of Tech and Innovative Development, Ministry of Investments and Development of Kazakhstan, who also attended the panel discussion, summed it up as “crucial.” “Digitalization is everywhere now, from finance to every other thing. With more than 65 countries involved in the Belt and Road and varying levels of development between them, there are bound to be challenges and stumbling blocks ahead,” she said. “This is a digital world we’re living in and it’s important to remember that what we’re discussing here is about the present, not just the future.”
2018-04-11The financial industry and technology innovation will take the lead in leveraging the opportunities created for Hong Kong by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, reckons Zhang Yuge, director of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute. The financial sector remains Hong Kong’s core competitiveness and will be the first to be focused on, he told China Daily in an interview ahead of the China Daily Roundtable, themed “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area: Prospects for Hong Kong”, which was held as part of the 11th Asian Financial Forum in the SAR on Tuesday. Asked how he thought such new opportunities could be seized upon, Zhang noted there’re still certain financial regulatory curbs on the mainland, and Hong Kong could seek to have some of them removed in the bay area. This would offer fresh opportunities for traditional financial institutions in the SAR, such as insurance and banking service providers, as all their products are still very competitive and irreplaceable in the area. However, he cited the challenge brought about by internet-based financial tools that have become increasingly popular in Guangdong province, and this is one aspect Hong Kong’s financial institutions should work on. Technology innovation, he said, is another key industry that’s most promising, and Hong Kong’s big advantage is its research and development capability. Hong Kong has attracted many of the world’s high-end R&D (research and development) resources, not mentioning its own world-class universities. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched its first overseas Innovation Node in Hong Kong, while Karolinska Institute — a medical university from Sweden with a 200-year history — set up its first overseas branch at Hong Kong Science Park. Zhang said they’ve chosen Hong Kong because of the city’s comprehensive institutional and legal environment, high level of internationalization and solid protection of intellectual property. But, they’re also eyeing the mainland market as the bay area’s development could integrate Hong Kong’s R&D ability with Guangdong’s market and industrial support. He stressed that the Lok Ma Chau Loop is key to such fusion. “The loop could become the starting point for Hong Kong and Shenzhen to jointly build an innovation corridor along the Shenzhen River.” This can link the development of the northeastern part of Hong Kong with Shenzhen’s Futian and Nanshan districts, which house a cluster of high-tech startups and companies, he said. Under an agreement unveiled last year, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will jointly develop an 87-hectare innovation and technology park at the Lok Ma Chau Loop. The first parcel of land is expected to be ready for construction by 2021. Referring to a comprehensive national science center being planned in the development blueprint of the bay area, Zhang suggested that it should be set up it in the technology park, bridging high-tech resources on both sides. So far, the central government has approved three of such centers nationwide — in Beijing, Shanghai and Hefei, capital city of Anhui province — with investment in each project worth tens of billions of yuan. grace@chinadailyhk.com
2018-01-17Banks in Hong Kong will support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through innovative financing models — accounts receivable financing and supply-chain financing — which may break new ground for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, according to a DBS banker. Hong Kong is favored by diversified corporates in the bay area for its convenience in asset fi nancing. Large and mid-cap corporates also prefer to set up trading centers in the city as the stepping stone to international development, says Ginger Cheng, who heads DBS’ institutional banking group for large and mid-cap corporates. However, for most SMEs, asset fi nancing seems a large problem, but is in demand. The lack of background information and poor credit rating makes it hard for them to win the trust from banks, she said. She proposed that accounts receivable financing and supply chain financing models be used to solve the problem. DBS will approach suppliers of major clients and target them as potential SME clients. SME clients can use their outstanding invoices or money owed by large corporates as collateral to get accounts. After that, the bank will keep supporting clients of SMEs in other financing deals. “These financing models combine the business for large corporates and that for SMEs, and help build a database of all related trustworthy SMEs,” said Cheng. “At the same time, these corporates shall be located close to each other for geographical convenience. If they are all in the bay area, it will become a good model and lead the trend.” However, all these fi nancial service models and products need e-platforms to support them, especially in the bay area, a place in a strong fi nancial technology atmosphere. “In terms of financing services, now the policy in Hong Kong is not very encouraging for innovation,” Cheng said. She thought the SAR has to catch up a little bit in the fintech field. On the other hand, she expected Hong Kong to take up this opportunity because the city has the advantage in policy flexibility. As policies on the mainland and in Hong Kong are a little different, Cheng mentioned three important aspects for the bay area — the fl ow of capital, flow of talents and the flow of goods. “I believe the policy for capital will be relaxed in the bay area, but it will take time. Also, it will be easier for talents from different places to work in each other’s city. In terms of goods, having a number of harbors and airports represents the strength of the bay area,” she said. She expects “all flowers to bloom together” in the bay area as every city plays its own role well.
2018-01-17The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area is already one of the most significant epicenters of economic output in the world, with enormous manufacturing capacity, rapidly growing financial centers and a huge talent pool. Leveraging the different strengths of the cluster of 11 cities in the bay area is key to achieving the region’s overall prosperity, panelists told a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable on “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area: Prospects for Hong Kong”, which was held as part of the 11th Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The bay area covers more than 56,000 square kilometers — larger than both the Greater Tokyo Area and the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 67 million people spread across nine cities and two special administrative regions. With 1 percent of China’s land area, it recorded a GDP of US$1.3 trillion last year — 13 percent of the country’s total. “The bay area is a national level strategy but different from other strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Zhang Yuge, director at the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies of Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute. “It still has room for growth in terms of GDP per capita, tertiary industry ratio, the number of top global enterprises, as well as the cultivation of innovation in comparison with other developed bay areas worldwide.” “The biggest, most important and most urgent problem to solve is the free flow of key elements in the bay area,” he said. Solving these issues will be key to Hong Kong reaping the most benefits from the area’s growth. And, the key elements at play — the ones that need to move most freely — are talent and capital. Attracting more capital to the area is an important challenge that must be addressed quickly, said Zhang. “SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in China have a lot of challenges when it comes to borrowing money from external sources,” said Susie Cheung, founder member and co-convenor of the Asia-Pacific Structured Finance Association. “Securitization is not the only means, but it’s an effective means to bring in capital.” “For the enterprises in the bay area, the infrastructure projects need to attract revenue from institutional investors. We need to build up a pipeline of well-prepared bankable projects,” she said. In this push to attract more capital and talent, Hong Kong could play a critical role in being the undisputed financial leader in the region. “Hong Kong is a world-class financial center. Among the 11 cities involved in this initiative, Hong Kong stands out in terms of its capabilities in the financing arena, in equity financing and debt financing,” said Jing Ulrich, managing director and vice-chairman of Asia Pacific at JPMorgan Chase. “Hong Kong can really become a leading financier for southern Chinese companies.” Ulrich noted that more than half of the companies listed on the Hong Kong stock market at present are of mainland background. The mainland’s exposure to debt financing has also been increasing, accounting for over 30 percent of the total assets of Hong Kong-based banks. A super-connected city On top of being a leader in finance, Hong Kong is super-connected, has advanced and reliable technology with good ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure, and also is home to many world-class accounting and legal professionals. “Hong Kong can become an important knowledge hub, not just a financing center in the bay area,” said Ulrich. Besides Hong Kong, Shenzhen’s rapid development has impressed the world. The city’s GDP has surpassed that of Hong Kong and Guangzhou. “There’s some healthy competition as well among the bay area cities,” Ulrich added. “Hong Kong needs to work harder to avoid being marginalized. Ginger Cheng, managing director and head of large and mid-cap corporates, institutional banking group, at DBS Bank (China) Ltd, told the forum: “This is an area where we’ve already seen rapid development in the past 20 years leveraging China’s open-door policy. This is the most market-driven area in all of China.” “It’s evidenced by how the privately-owned enterprises in the region developed in the past year and have become global players,” she said. Cheng thinks that a market-oriented culture is an asset for the bay area, and Hong Kong could tap into that. “Hong Kong is already a leader in providing products and services to large companies via an equity capital market and offshore bond offering,” she added. This year alone, the total bond issuance of mainland corporates reached a historical high of US$168 billion — almost doubled that of US$88 billion in 2016. “Hong Kong probably needs to think of more innovative financing products and solutions for SMEs in China, as well as startups,” said Cheng. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing — the city’s stock market operator — has already made some progress by moving toward allowing biotech and healthcare companies without profit track records to be listed in the local stock market. “Hong Kong took up half of the imports of the bay area in the past three years, and the bay area took up about 60 to 70 percent of the total imports of China. This is a huge asset,” said HNA Innovation Finance Group’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ding Lei. “The ratios for export are relatively lower but increasing.” “With such a huge imports and exports size, there’s still a lot of space for development based on commodities, warehousing and logistics that are related to the real economy,” said Ding. A challenge, however, will be fostering innovation, particularly in Hong Kong. “I see a lot of new talents and capital flowing into Shenzhen or Zhuhai very quickly. It’s easy to find human resources in these cities, but the policy is a bit tighter in Hong Kong for the financial industry,” said Ding. “Although the Hong Kong government is trying to push innovation in the city, there’s not much support.” Strengths and weaknesses Hong Kong does have a lot of strength that places it in a good position to attract talents and innovation. But, it also has weaknesses. “Hong Kong’s No 1 weakness is its high cost,” said Ulrich. “Doing business in Hong Kong is very expensive. To attract the necessary talents into Hong Kong, the government can do more by offering attractive prices for entrepreneurs and startups.” Ulrich further pointed out that improving education in Hong Kong is another way to enlarge the local talent pool. “There needs to be a more effective coordination mechanism for the 11 cities,” she said. “We have three different currencies, three different customs, different immigration policies and different divisions of government. The central government can help coordinate the efforts in the bay area to make the movement of professionals much more expedient.” “The integration of employment can be achieved by improving the commuter system of the metropolitan area and the custom clearance policy,” said Zhang. Ding also said mainland conglomerate HNA will expand its operations in the bay area as it offers great opportunities for bulk commodities trading, warehousing and logistics. The financial arm of HNA, which has diversified interests in aviation, tourism and real estate, was launched in Hong Kong in March this year, principally engaged in commodity trade, financial investment and consumer finance which, Ding believes, has huge potential and can play a key part in promoting internationalization of the yuan. In less than one year since its launch, HNA Innovation Finance Group has sealed two deals. In March, it entered into an agreement to acquire a 51-per cent equity interest in Swiss commodities trader Glencore’s oil products storage and logistics business for US$775 million. It also agreed to acquire Singaporean logistics firm CWT in a US$1-billion takeover late last year. The group is still looking for other merger-and-acquisition opportunities in areas linked to its core business, Ding said. Such acquisition plans are in line with the nation’s strategy, he said, and the group wants to use its strengths to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, the bay area development and renminbi internationalization.
2018-01-1716 Jan 2018, Hong Kong: Co-organized by Asian Financial Forum and China Daily, a co-branded session on “Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area: Prospects for Hong Kong” held from 09:45-10:45 on Jan 16, 2018. This marks the 7th consecutive year that China Daily has been positioned as Media Partner for this most influential industry event. China Daily is delighted to have five distinguished speakers: Ms. Ginger CHENG, Managing Director, Head, Large and Mid-cap Corporates, Institutional Banking Group, DBS Bank (China) Limited; Ms. Susie CHEUNG, Founder Member and Co-Convenor, Asia-Pacific Structured Finance Association; Mr. DING Lei, Chief Innovation Officer, HNA Innovation Finance Group; Ms. Jing ULRICH, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific, JP Morgan Chase & Co.; and Mr. ZHANG Yuge, Director, Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, China Development Institute. Ms. Ginger CHENG said that Hong Kong needs to think about how we can catch the flow of capital, the flow of talents and the flow goods. Then use the Great Bay Area initiative as a stepping-stone to further develop Hong Kong. In terms of financing services, now the policy is not very encouraging for innovations. That is what Hong Kong needs to catch up a little bit. Ms. Susie CHEUNG said that small and medium-sized enterprises on Chinese mainland have faced quite a lot of challenges when comes to borrowing money, meanwhile, large infrastructure projects are also encountered with difficulties of fund raising. Many of them are tapping into the capital market through securitization, Hong Kong, as an international financial hub with its professionals, should provide help and support for these SMEs and infrastructure projects to raise fund, particularly for those in the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area and those that related to the “Belt and Road” initiative. Mr. DING Lei said that if we look at the import and export for the past three years, Hong Kong takes half of the import in Bay Area, and the bay area import accounts for 60 to 70 percent of total imports in China. Given the sheer size of exports and imports, there are much room we can tapped into based on commodity trading, warehousing and logistics, which are most related to the real economy. Ms. Jing ULRICH said that as mainland is challenging Unite States in many areas now in terms of technology innovation, cloud computing and AI. Greater bay area can plays to its strengthen by becoming a key technology hub in this new initiative called digital belt and road. Mr. ZHANG Yuge said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area is central government’s policy arrangement to allow Hong Kong and Macao better exploring the market in Guangdong province. Chinese mainland markets are still partially limited from Hong Kong services industry, and the Bay Area is the special policy arrangement that lift these limitations. With the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge due to start carrying traffic in early 2018, the Pearl River Delta region will move towards a balanced and integrated development, elevating the Greater Bay Area economy to a new level, and with the development of the Greater Bay Area increasingly becoming the focus of attention. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) emphasized the need to support the integration of Hong Kong and Macao into the country’s overall development, and has given greater confidence to the development of Hong Kong and Macao. As the Greater Bay Area evolves and powers the country’s economy through a new platform for financial cooperation, Hong Kong is working to position as a “Finance-Plus-Innovation” hub. The Greater Bay Area has given enormous opportunities for Hong Kong, which is poised to benefit from the bright future arising from the bay area’s development. The seminar explored how Hong Kong’s financial sector can leverage on the opportunities that the Greater Bay Area offers to achieve greater regional integration and faster growth. Industry gurus shared their thoughts and first-hand experience on the hot topic with more than 200 delegates. About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation, and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to economic, business and social development in Asia. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia. Media Contact: Ms. Melody Hong Tel: (852) 3465 5427 Email: melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-01-162018年1月16日,香港:中國日報今日在香港舉行題為「粵港澳大灣區:香港的發展機遇」的亞洲領袖圓桌論壇專題研討會,探討香港金融業如何把握「粵港澳大灣區」帶來的發展機遇,實現區域一體化及加快經濟增長。本次研討會是中國日報第七次與亞洲金融論壇合作,吸引逾200名政、商、學界領軍人物參加。 星展銀行(中國)有限公司企業及機構銀行部董事總經理兼中國區大型及中型企業主管鄭思禎、亞太結構融資公會聯席召集人及創會成員張秀芬、海航創新金融集團創新總裁丁磊、摩根大通董事總經理兼亞太地區副主席李晶、中國(深圳)綜合開發研究院港澳經濟社會研究中心主任張玉閣受邀擔任本次研討會演講嘉賓。 鄭思禎表示,香港需要思考如何通過資本流通、人才流通和貨物流通,在「粵港澳大灣區」戰略中得到進一步發展。她認為,香港應該在金融服務創新領域迎頭趕上。 張秀芬表示,中國的中小企業面臨著融資困難的情況,不少企業已通過證券化途徑從資本市場融資。而香港作為國際金融中心,擁有大量專業人才,理應為這些企業和相關項目提供融資上服務,尤其是針對「粵港澳大灣區」以及「一帶一路」建設的相關項目。 丁磊表示,在過去的三年裡,香港占有「大灣區」一半的進口量,而「大灣區」的出口量在全國的占比為60%至70%。如此大體量的進出口貿易,給香港的大宗商品貿易、物流倉儲等都帶來很多商機。 李晶表示,目前中國內地科技創新、雲計算、人工智能等方面都可與美國比肩,「大灣區」應該充分利用這些優勢打造「科技灣區」,這也與「數字一帶一路」理念相契合。 張玉閣認為,将「粵港澳大灣區」與紐約、舊金山、倫敦的灣區相比較,「粵港澳大灣區」在人口、本地生產總值以及其占全國的比重上都是頗具規模,「粵港澳大灣區」絕對稱得上是世界級灣區。他表示,「粵港澳大灣區」已經上升到國家層面,由中央政府統籌協調,區內各城市共同推動區域發展,這些優勢與要素為「大灣區」的長遠規劃和發展都起到重要的作用。 當前,「粵港澳大灣區」的發展愈發成為各界關注的焦點。中國共產黨十九大報告強調,要支持港澳融入國家發展大局,這為港澳發展指明了方向。隨著港珠澳大橋通車在即,珠三角東西區域將走向平衡、融合發展,「大灣區」經濟將邁向新臺階。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平臺,全媒體用戶總數累計約7200萬;期均發行量超過90萬份,其中海外60萬份;網站日均訪問量(PV)超過5200萬,全球移動用戶端用戶達700萬;在海外,通過每月發行500餘萬份海外供版的《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美、歐、亞主流讀者群。 「中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇」旨在搭建一個由亞洲國家和地區政、商、學界領袖和社會精英參與的高端對話交流平臺,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、貿易和社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論並分享見解,以增進中國與世界的交流和理解。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-01-16The latest China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable event — the Belt and Road Networking Reception — united a diverse group of attendees, perhaps reflective of the namesake initiative’s broad ripple effect. “As we all know too well, this is a time of huge uncertainties...Should one opt for openness or isolation, cooperation or confrontation?” said Zhou Li, editorial board member of the China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific. China believes in creating a shared future for mankind and President Xi Jinping’s 2013 Belt and Road Initiative is a huge step in that direction, he said. Consul general at the consulate general of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Abdul Qadir Memon, highlighted the connection aspect of the initiative. “The Belt and Road Initiative is more than just about building infrastructure, but also realizing President Xi’s vision of economic cooperation for all participating countries to realize their full potential,” Memon said. “It’s a catalyst for bringing about more people and people interaction.” The event, held in the Oasis room of the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel, saw consul generals in Hong Kong, CEOs and around 200 C-level senior executives from Fortune Global 500 and China 500 companies, think tanks, academics and media practitioners from public and private sectors across Asia come together under the umbrella of the ambitious Chinese initiative. Initiative impact As revealed by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the opening of the Symposium on International Developments and China’s Diplomacy 2017 earlier this month, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organizations, conducted institutionalized cooperation on industrial capacity with more than 30 nations, and built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries under the initiative’s framework. Wang also said Chinese businesses have invested over $50 billion and created nearly 200,000 local jobs in countries along the Belt and Road route. It’s one thing reading about the initiative’s impressive facts and ever growing figures, it’s another hearing about how it has changed the region. Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, spoke of how another major initiative — the Greater Bay Area initiative — feeds into the Belt and Road. He highlighted how related infrastructure, like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Boundary Crossing Point, will open up opportunities by facilitating flow between the SAR and the mainland. “Hong Kong should seize the opportunities provided by the Belt and Road through the Greater Bay Area,” Cheung said. Tengku Dato’ Sirajuzzaman bin Tengku Mohamed Ariffin, consul general at the Consulate General of Malaysia in the Hong Kong SAR, told China Daily the initiative has been instrumental in getting ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) infrastructure projects off the ground and running. “The initiative has blown some extra wind in the sails for projects like the high speed rail from Singapore to Kunming, particularly in the areas of funding and expertise” he said. He added that Malaysia could and wants to play a role in connecting 15 Islamic countries along the Belt and Road through Islamic finance and halal food. Even far flung allies chimed in with their say. “New Zealand was the first Western country to sign a Belt and Road agreement,” said David Whitwam, chairman of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He believes that New Zealand, although far away from the immediate geographic circle, will a play a role in the Belt and Road, particularly with regard to the food supply chain in the countries involved in the project. Nicholas de Loisy, president of Supply Chain Management Outsource, says the Belt and Road has been particularly helpful in opening up big project opportunities for corporations. His Hong Kong-based logistics company counts two big projects related to the initiative under its own belt. Media magic Media magic The role of media outlets like China Daily Asia Weekly, which celebrated its seventh anniversary at the event, was also spoken highly of in terms of promoting the initiative. “The media has been very important in spotlighting our efforts in the race to build infrastructure,” said Sirajuzzaman. “Media coverage highlights important considerations for these projects,” he added. One such example would be the recent China Daily Red Letter Project, which was a live stream on Facebook that brought viewers into road congestion at its worst in seven Asian metropolises. “In an increasingly-digitalized media age, we brought the issue of traffic congestion into the consideration of over 10,000 viewers through that experimental live stream project,” said Zhou. The four-and-a-half-hour long broadcast also attracted input from viewers across the region, who were probably also stuck in traffic as they tuned in. “What China Daily hopes is to provide a platform for such dialogue, especially as the Belt and Road grows,” Zhou added. Speech from Zhou Li, publisher of China Daily Asia Pacific Honorable Chief Secretary for Administration Mr Matthew Cheung, honorable consuls-general, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: Good evening! Thank you all for joining us today. The coming of the New Year brings a time for renewal of old friendships and forging new ones. It’s also a time to embrace the spirit of universal goodwill. As we all know too well, this is a time of huge uncertainties. In politics, economics, at the corporate level, in matters of forging business ties — as indeed in our relationships with each other — we are often faced with the big question mark. Should one opt for openness or isolation, cooperation or confrontation? The choices we make now will determine the lives we and the younger generations are going to lead in the future. China’s stance is clear in this respect. It was evident at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October. China believes it is essential to advance peace, development and cooperation between countries, foster a new inclusive form of international relations and build a community with the goal of creating a shared future for mankind. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, is a huge step forward in that direction. President Xi conceived of an economic model that supports much of the world’s shared desire for accelerated development. This might sound a bit idealistic but I do believe it’s possible to achieve by pooling together our resources and fostering a culture of pursuing shared benefits through collaboration. And there are already instances of the initiative translating into action with real benefits delivered. Naturally, Hong Kong, with all its talent, expertise, locational advantages and supernetwork across the world, is already a vital link in this international community. We expect to hear more on this from our esteemed Chief Secretary for Administration a moment later. China Daily also has a role in this ambitious enterprise to bring the world closer. Our job is to help add clarity to the understanding of what might look like bumps along the road. We look to find common ground and bring these to the attention of our readers. Our publication, China Daily Asia Weekly, now in its seventh year, is already reaching beyond the borders, having become the most widely distributed regional publication in Asia. Meanwhile, all of us at China Daily Asia Pacific are gearing up to take on the challenges of an increasingly digitalized media age. Last week, in cooperation with our Asia News Network partners, we got right out into the traffic in seven of Asia’s most congested cities, during the morning rush hour. The live-streaming, hosted from our Hong Kong studio, and featuring expert analysis, drew tens of thousands of viewers over four hours. Efforts such as these are directed at finding solutions to make our lives a little easier. And one of the ways of doing that is to try and build understanding and trust through dialogue. As China reaches out to the rest of the world, we are happy to provide a platform to foster such dialogues. Today we’re not just offering our hands to you but in fact we’re ready to welcome you with open arms. This is the spirit with which we greet you today. You have honored us greatly by your presence here. Let’s get to know each other. Enjoy yourselves. Happy New Year! Well-developed infrastructure is a critical factor that enables Hong Kong to capture the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative in the Greater Bay Area development and sustain our economic growth and strength. It will also enhance Hong Kong’s connectivity with the mainland by boosting exchanges between Hong Kong and major mainland cities that will create complementary advantages. Hong Kong is often described as having the best of both worlds under the “one country, two systems” principle. Under “one country”, we receive preferential treatment and investment facilitation. Under “two systems”, we are able to maintain our way of life and the rule of law here. That’s why Hong Kong has all along played an important role in linking the mainland with other parts of the world, as well as serving as the gateway for overseas businesses entering the mainland and Asia. The Belt and Road Initiative will create an environment for the region to realize its true economic and trade potential and usher in a new era of progress and development. By developing the land and maritime linkages, the Belt and Road Initiative will be a catalyst to help bring more people-to-people interaction which, we believe, is essential for global peace and stability. Pakistan and China have a very special relationship, with both counties working together for regional economic development, peace and stability. The China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Agreement was followed by the Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, which was signed during the recent ASEAN Summit in Manila. This is testimony to the fruitful bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Malaysia.
2017-12-21Dec 20, 2017 Hong Kong: China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable held a Belt and Road Networking Reception from 17:15-20:00 on December 20. Mr. Matthew CHEUNG Kin-chung, GBM, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; TENGKU Dato' Sirajuzzaman, Consul-General, Consulate General of Malaysia in the HKSAR & Macau SAR; Mr. Abdul Qadir MEMON, Consul-General, Consulate-General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the HKSAR & Macau SAR; Consul-Generals from more than 27 countries, as well as more than 200 delegates attended the reception. Mr. Matthew CHEUNG Kin-chung said that, well developed infrastructure is a critical factor that enabling Hong Kong to capture opportunities arising from the “Belt and Rad” initiative in the Bay Area development to sustain our economic growth and strength. Enhancing Hong Kong’s connectivity with the mainland through boosting exchanges between Hong Kong and major mainland cities to forge development of complementary advantages. TENGKU Dato' Sirajuzzaman said that, China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Free Trade Agreement was followed by Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, which was just signed during the recent ASEAN Summit in Manila. This is a testimony to the fruitful bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Malaysia. Mr. Abdul Qadir MEMON said that, “Belt and Road” initiative will create an enabling environment for the region to realize its true economic and trade potential and usher into a new era of progress and development. By developing the land and maritime linkages, the belt and road initiative will be a catalyst to help bring more people to people interaction which we believe is essential for global peace and stability. Pakistan and China have a very special relationship where both countries are working together for regional, economic development, peace and stability. In his report to the recent 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping referred to the Belt and Road Initiative five times as a magnificent blueprint for boosting the economic development of all the countries and regions involved. The Belt and Road Initiative is not just about trade and investment but also cultural exchanges. A source at the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China has said that, over the past four years, economic and trade cooperation among the Belt and Road countries and regions has been further strengthened for mutual benefit in various fields, and the degree of cooperation has been continuously enhanced. “Made in China” products , the use of Chinese skills and technology in the construction sector and Chinese services have been popular among more countries along the Belt and Road route, while more and more products, services, technologies and capital from these countries have flowed into China. According to an official from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese mainland has, to date, signed more than 300 cooperation agreements and plans for cultural exchanges with the participating nations, and has established multilateral cultural cooperation mechanisms with East European and Arab countries, plus member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation, and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to economic, business and social development in Asia. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia. Media Contact: Ms. Melody Hong Tel: (852) 3465 5427 Email: melody@chinadailyhk.com
2017-12-20中國日報香港12月20日電:中國日報今天在香港舉辦「駐港總領事暨商界代表交流會」,探討香港如何在「一帶一路」和「粵港澳大灣區」建設中發揮獨特優勢,進一步深化合作等前景。香港特區政府政務司司長張建宗發表主題演講,來自27國駐港領事,以及香港政商學界逾200名嘉賓出席。 巴基斯坦駐港澳總領事阿巴杜•卡迪爾•梅蒙、馬來西亞駐港澳總領事登姑拿督希拉祖紮曼作為駐港總領事的代表致辭。 張建宗司長在主題演講中表示,良好的基建設施讓香港能夠抓住「一帶一路」和「粵港澳大灣區」建設中的機遇,也使得香港可以實現經濟的持續發展。通過刺激香港與內地各城市之間的互聯互通,相信兩地必定可以實現優勢互補。 他認為,在「一國兩制」框架下,香港將長期享有兼並中西的優勢:在「一國」方面,香港特區享有中央政府給予的優惠政策和投資便利;在「兩制」安排下,香港的法制與生活方式得以保留。因此,香港始終扮演著連接中國內地與世界的重要角色,並成為海外企業和資本進入內地市場的關鍵門戶。 巴基斯坦駐港澳總領事阿巴杜•卡迪爾•梅蒙在致辭中說,習近平主席提出的「一帶一路」倡議已經獲得包括巴基斯坦在內的眾多國家積極響應,這一倡議並不僅僅關乎道路、橋梁等基礎設施建設,更是習主席為沿線國家經貿合作創造雙贏局面的美好願景與路線圖。 「通過加強陸路與海路連同,『一帶一路』將成為各國人民互動往來的催化劑,這對世界和平穩定至關重要,」他說。 梅蒙總領事呼籲香港企業家到巴基斯坦投資、經商、生產,並參與到「一帶一路」在當地的建設中。 馬來西亞駐港澳總領事登姑拿督希拉祖紮曼注意到,中國政府正在著力打造「粵港澳大灣區」,港珠澳大橋即將通車,各條高鐵線路也正在鋪開,這些基礎設施建設項目都顯示出中國的雄心壯志。馬來西亞非常樂於與中國在有關領域進行合作。 他表示,香港特區政府與東盟今年簽署了自由貿易協定以及相關投資協定,中國與馬來西亞的商貿往來也日益頻繁,這都是中國內地和香港與東盟經貿合作碩果累累的最好證明。 中國日報社編委兼亞太分社社長周立表示,今年10月召開的中國共產黨第十九次全國代表大會,表明了中國應對這個動蕩的時代各種挑戰的鮮明立場,那就是高舉和平、發展、合作、共贏旗幟,推動構建新型國際關系,從而推動構建人類命運共同體。 周立表示,中國日報願意在促進「一帶一路」沿線國家交流中扮演更重要的角色,這也是舉辦本次交流會的初衷。中國日報樂於為有關各方提供溝通的平臺,因為只有對話與互動才能促進理解與包容。 「只要我們加強合作,整合資源,以共同利益為目標,『一帶一路』願景就可以實現,」他說,「事實表明,這一重大倡議已經開始開花結果。」 活動現場,中國日報向各國駐港領事、參會嘉賓等贈送了英文版《習近平談治國理政》(第二卷),反響熱烈。 活動介紹了中國日報進行「全球首次通過手機和社交平臺實況連線直播亞洲七大城市早高峰」的情況。 交流會上還舉行了祝酒儀式,慶祝中國日報亞洲版創刊七周年。 五年來,「一帶一路」建設穩步推進,相關沿線國家積極參與,多個重大合作基建項目已經開始實施。中國日報主辦此次交流會,旨在為各國駐港領事館、香港各商會、行業協會、學者以及社會各界領軍力量,架起交流信息與探討合作的橋梁,共同開創「一帶一路」國際合作美好未來,攜手推進經貿與文化交流,期化美好願景為現實,實現更廣範圍以及更高水平的合作共贏。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平臺,全媒體用戶總數累計約7200萬;期均發行量超過90萬份,其中海外60萬份;網站日均訪問量(PV)超過5200萬,全球移動用戶端用戶達700萬;在海外,通過每月發行500餘萬份海外供版的《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美國《華爾街日報》和《華盛頓郵報》、英國《每日電訊報》、法國《費加羅報》、泰國《民族報》、俄羅斯《俄羅斯報》、日本《每日新聞》等美、歐、亞主流讀者群。 「中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇」致力於為亞洲國家和地區的政、商、學界領袖和社會精英搭建對話和交流的平臺,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論,以增進中國與世界各國的交流和理解。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2017-12-20Within 10 years’ time, more than half of the films shown in the rapid developing Chinese market will be based on existing novels or intellectual property, like what is happening in Hollywood now, according to Ma Zhongjun, chairman and president of Ciwen Media, a Beijing-based Chinese broadcaster. At the same time, the film production company will no longer rely too heavily on star power to promote films, and will gradually focus on playwriting, production and issuing in a process to cement the industry’s entire value. “Currently, the value of the industry can only be seen from famous movie stars, but as the market continues to develop, the industry, as a whole, will show its value,” he said. “Although IP is becoming more and more important for the film industry, the movie industry is more than IP.” Besides adaptation, Ma emphasized that original screen writing is absolutely necessary but, to be frank, it will be harder and harder to nurture a new IP for film production companies. The competition among film production companies in future will depend on a company’s ability to repackage the original contents for other sectors, such as turning online novels into films and games. But, on the other hand, the successful adaptation of novels also depends on the original contents and the authors’ popularity among movie fans, so it’s a win-win situation. The market’s reliance on film stars has resulted in skyrocketing salaries for top film stars in China, as the country’s annual box office has exploded from barely US$200 million a decade ago to a projected US$6.8 billion this year. In January, a commentary published in Party-owned newspaper People’s Daily criticized some film stars for commanding sky-high salaries without commensurate talent. China’s film, television and radio sectors issued guidelines in September to cap actors’ wages at 40 percent of a production’s total budget. With the film industry becoming more mature on the Chinese mainland, Ma believes that Chinese culture will exert greater influence on the world stage. “China is the world’s second-largest economy, but the influence of Chinese culture cannot match the status of its economy. In future, with China having a bigger say globally, I think Chinese films and stories will have much greater influence on the global market.” Statistics from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television show that China has so far translated more than 1,600 domestic movies and television productions into 36 languages, including English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese, and they are being aired in more than 100 countries. Last year, China’s exports of TV series raked in 510 million yuan (US$77.2 million), accounting for 68 percent of the total earnings from exported television contents, according to the SARFT. cherrylin@chinadailyhk.com
2017-12-08The film and television industry should pay more attention to the storylines and the value it conveys to the whole society, said Geng Xiaonan, president of Beijing Sky Saga Film and TV Culture Media. She was commenting on the common practice in the industry, where players turn to copyrighted materials for inspiration. “Among the 20 highest-grossing movies in China, 14 of them are intellectual property-adapted films,” said Geng, citing data from 2015. She said the focus in making IP-adapted films is no longer on the story itself, but more on celebrity actors, world-class director teams and even special effects to draw audience attention. But buying hit IP does not guarantee a successful adaptation. According to Chinese movie website Douban, Midnight Food Store, the Chinese-language adaptation of popular Japanese series Midnight Diner, scores only 2.8 points in public ratings. In the words of China’s film and television industry, IP refers mainly to those novels and games that have potential to be adapted into blockbuster movies and TV series. “There is a still a huge disparity between a popular IP and a blockbuster film. The industry has been focusing too much on finding the big IP that is eye-catching,” said Geng. “Some people even say the script looks more like a business plan or a financing report,” she said, adding that one cannot fully blame investors or producers for that as it is only natural to follow the market trend. It is time for the industry to cool down on the craze on big IPs, and return to the essence of film and TV production — which is to offer better stories, directings and acting performances for the audience, Geng urged. Meanwhile, she said Hong Kong will continue to have a role to play in the development of the Chinese mainland’s film and TV industry in the years to come. Working together, they can improve the whole industry. “Even though Hong Kong’s film industry is not as vibrant as it was before, it never lacks great stories and great teams.” It has been seen in recent years that IP-adapted TV series like Empresses in the Palace and the detective drama Day and Night are now popular with overseas audiences. “We still need to focus on the core value of filmmaking and TV production. It has to go along with mainstream social values.” It still has a long way to go, she said. “But, during this process of pursuing perfection, the ‘imperfect’ films that we made are even more meaningful as they show our endless efforts toward making this industry better.” kelly@chinadailyapac.com
2017-12-08