At a press conference launching "The 2001 Digital 21 Strategy: Connecting the World," Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting Carrie Yau said Hong Kong had become one of the best connected cities in the world since the government published its first Digital 21 Strategy in November 1998.

All commercial buildings and nearly all households have broadband coverage, Yau said. All schools and tertiary institutions are connected to the Internet and more than one third of our total population are Internet users today, she said.

The 2001 strategy covers five key result areas, including the enhancement of the world-class e-business environment in Hong Kong, development of e-government, development of Hong Kong's IT workforce, strengthening of the community for digital exploitation and the exploitation of Hong Kong's enabling technologies, according to Yau.

Yau said most of the planned initiatives stipulated by the 1998 Digital 21 Strategy had now been successfully completed. She expressed the hope that the successful implementation of the revised strategy "will drive economic growth and bring about new employment opportunities and create wealth."

(People’s Daily 05/06/2001)