Chief Executive's Policy Address 2000

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce welcomes the Chief Executive's commitment to more effective communication of its policies to the broad community, the pledge to undertake full consultation on major policy issues and the desire to work more closely with the new Legislative Council.

"Although short on initiatives directly relevant to business, this year's policy address was notable for dealing with important issues of immediate concern to the broader community, as well as the business sector, Chamber Director, Eden Woon said

"The Chamber agrees that the best way of dealing with some of the social issues affecting the SAR - unemployment, the gap between rich and poor, the needs of the elderly and the young - is sustained economic expansion.

"It does, however, appreciate that the initiatives announced yesterday in enhancing employment and education prospects, training and retraining, and upgrading the welfare system will help overcome community concerns on these issues."

Dr Woon said the Chamber also welcomed the Chief Executive's commitment to improved governance, greater accountability in government and the commitment to an evolutionary approach to constitutional development in coming years.

"We were particularly pleased to see some of the issues raised in the Chamber's submission on the Chief Executive's Policy Address, including better communication of government policies, were taken up in the actual address," Dr Woon said.

"They also included the education and governance initiatives, the emphasis on the importance of innovation and technology, faster improvements in the environment, housing and land policies and the closer cross-border co-operation, including working with the Mainland on infrastructure development and environment improvement.

"Like the Chief Executive, we believe that "Hong Kong is in the right place at the right time". We believe that the emergence of China on the world stage, its imminent entry to the WTO and its plans for developing the West of the country, will offer tremendous opportunities for Hong Kong and the SAR business community.

Media Inquiries: Dr. Eden Woon, Director (2823-1211)