Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are expected to increase their competitiveness both regionally and internationally with the Mainland and Taiwan's entry into the WTO.

That was the consensus among speakers at the 12th Joint Meeting of the Chamber's Hong Kong-Taipei Business Cooperation Committee, and the Chinese Taipei-Hong Kong Business Cooperation Committee under the Taiwan Federation of Industries, which was held in Hong Kong on November 22.

They believe that the traditional existing economic and trade cooperation pattern among the trading areas will undergo restructuring and transformation.

However, Hong Kong will continue to be a financial, digital and logistics hub in the Asia-Pacific region, and will still play a vital role in coordinating exchanges between the Mainland and Taiwan.

Hong Kong's middleman role will be further enhanced upon implementation of the three links across the strait, and with its unique advantages, Hong Kong will make greater contributions in the promotion, cooperation and development of economic and trade exchanges across the strait, they added.