E-business Seminar in HK Helps Explore Business About 200 representatives from Chinese mainland and Hong Kong enterprises attended a seminar Friday to explore how e-business can help them to enhance operational efficiency and to explore the enormous business opportunities in the mainland and overseas markets.

The seminar was organized by the Ministry of Commerce, the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

The seminar was a cooperation initiative in the e-business area under the trade and investment facilitation agenda of the mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).

Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Hong Kong's Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Francis Ho, said that under the Digital 21 Strategy, the Hong Kong government had been actively promoting the adoption of e-business in different industries through a variety of e-government programs and support measures.

"The CEPA has provided enormous business opportunities for Hong Kong's goods and service industry. Hong Kong is a major international trade and service center. If we are to maintain the competitiveness of our goods and services in the international market, we must not lose sight of the important role of e-business in today's global economy," said Ho.

The mainland has launched various e-government and e-business programs in recent years. These programs will not only help drive the long-term development of the information technology industries and the overall economy of the two places, but will also foster greater cooperation between the local and mainland enterprises on a mutually beneficial basis, so as to make full use of the cross-border potential of e-business to facilitate trade and investment, Ho said.

The Hong Kong government will continue to encourage enterprises to adopt e-business and to form partnership with their mainland counterparts to develop more high value-added products and services and to explore the international market, Ho added.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2004)