The pros and cons of a proposed bridge linking Hong Kong and the west side of the Pearl River Delta were lively debated at the Chamber's roundtable luncheon on April 3.

Dr James Wang, from the University of Hong Kong's Department of Geography, and Ho Ming-sze, a top advisor to the Fok Ying Tung Foundation, exchanged views on the proposed bridge at the second in the Chamber's series of Pearl River Delta roundtable luncheons.

Dr Wang believes that the bridge will make Hong Kong more accessible and help promote tourism within the PRD by facilitating the flow of people to and from Hong Kong by greatly shortening the travelling time between the territory and the western part of the PRD.

With Hong Kong's Disneyland and Macau's casinos, tour operators would also be able to offer niche travel packages to attract a yet untapped segment of the Mainland and overseas visitor market, he said. Hong Kong International Airport, being the most convenient and accessible airport in the region, would also benefit from easier access.

However, he does not believe that the bridge would boost foreign direct investment in the western PRD, or encourage manufacturing businesses to shift westward, due to other important business consider-ations, such as land premium, local policies and industrial clustering.

"Zhuhai already has its own unique industrial model," Dr Wang said. "Despite a slightly lower than national average GDP, Zhuhai's per capita GDP is higher than Dongguan's, which is famous for its processing industry. As such, Hong Kong businesses should explore business opportunities in high value-added tertiary industries instead of manufacturing in Zhuhai. The tourism, health care and education sectors would all benefit from the construction of the bridge."

However, Ho Ming-sze, a critic of the bridge, said that despite the proposed benefits, the bridge would not solve Hong Kong's economic woes. He also cautioned that it could destroy the ecological environment in the Pearl River estuary. Moreover, the estimated cost of building the 29 km bridge has been put at HK$15 billion, which is just not economically viable, he said, adding that the underdeveloped areas around the bridge would create limited traffic.

Mr Ho says a number of factors should be taken into account before deciding whether the bridge is to be built. These include timing, geographical advantages and human support. In Guangdong Province, Central Guangdong's economy is booming, East Guangdong is still in its infancy, while that of West Guangdong is underdeveloped. Geographical factors explain why a wide gap has developed between the economic growth of Zhuhai and Shenzhen.

Benefiting from its proximity to Hong Kong, Shenzhen has a sound transportation network, which has attracted investors to set up factories there. Zhuhai, which lacks such a network, has therefore seen its economic development lag behind, he said.

In addition, Mr Ho believes that the HK/Macau/Zhuhai Bridge will damage the ecological environment of the PRD. Pillars for the bridge would impede the flow of the Zhujiang River and lead to a heavy build up of silt in the estuary, which would not only destroy the whole river system, but also endanger marine life, including the endangered Chinese white dolphins, he said.

Given these problems, and the fact that Central Guangdong will remain Guangdong Provincial Government's future development focus, he doubts if construction of the bridge will be approved within the next decade.

The proposal to build the bridge, advocated by Hong Kong and Macau, has received a lukewarm response from the Guangdong Provincial Government. Without the latter's support, all talks about the bridge are one-sided, Mr Ho said.

We have troves of information on how much air pollution costs economies, from damage to buildings to a populations' health to lost investments, Dr Andrew Jackson, Managing Director of ERM Hong Kong, told the audience at the Chamber's PRD Series roundtable luncheon on April 16.

"So basically, we know with a fair degree of certainty what the problems and solutions are, but the next step in the debate has not yet been taken," he said.

And that next step is putting our money where our mouth is: paying for cleaner air.

In the last decade, Hong Kong's air quality has generally improved due to stricter emissions laws, use of cleaner fuels and the relocation of factories across the border. The rapid economic growth of the PRD, however, has also given rise to so-called cross-border pollution, which is blamed for the air quality in Hong Kong.

The exact impact of cross-border pollution, however, is an area of passionate debate, said Dr Ho Kin-chung, President, Green Power, who also spoke at the luncheon.

Research by a Mainland professor shows that between January & March, and September & December, winds affecting Hong Kong blow from the east and north east of China. Throughout summer, winds blow from the south.

"So this research shows Hong Kong is affecting Guangdong more than Guangdong affects Hong Kong," he said. "You may not agree with these findings based on your own experiences or gut feeling, but regardless of whether it is Hong Kong affecting Guangdong or Guangdong affecting Hong Kong, we are all living in the same district so it is everybody's responsibility to reduce pollution."

The level of air pollution in Hong Kong is expected to worsen significantly due to growing populations and expanding industries unless more stringent air pollution standards are adopted. These measures should include

• Use of cleaner fuel in power generation

• Use of renewable energy sources -- wind, solar and hydroelectric power in Guangdong

• Import of electricity from western China

• Stringent emission control by tightening legislation

• Use of cleaner fuels and green technology in industry

• Better urban and industrial planning

• Controls on vehicle emission -- such as achieving Euro-III standard for cars in Guangdong by 2005/6 and, requiring better quality standards for diesel and gasoline

• Strengthening controls on printing, chemical and servicing industries in VOCs emission

• Emissions trading

"If all these measures are introduced, we would see significant reduction in air pollution over the next 10 years," Dr Ho said.

Studies have established that some huge reductions in emissions are required to get emissions back to what is considered an acceptable amount. And as populations and industries grow, the level of reductions needed just to maintain existing standards widens, Dr Jackson said.

New towns springing up in the northwest of the New Territories clearly illustrates this point. Air quality in the northwest has seriously deteriorated due to expanded traffic and the size of the population there, he said.

"Further scientific exploration will enhance and refine the knowledge that we have, but it is unlikely to change the fundamental picture. That is we basically know what the problems are, and that we basically know what the solutions are. A lack of knowledge is not the problem any more. The key problem is how to implement all of this, and how much will it cost?" he said.

The impression of the man in the street is that all of this can be done without it costing him a single dollar, because while the causes and solutions of air pollution are widely known, the issue of how much it will cost have yet to be debated.

Public debate now revolves around green groups and government officials asking the public if they want better air, to which everyone says yes. But Dr Jackson says this is like asking everyone if they want a new car. Of course people will say yes, but when they find out that they have to buy it they change their minds.

Nothing has been done to really examine the cost effects of cleaner air on the economy and GDP. And even if the community is willing to accept the cost, there have to be changes to legislation.

"So the problem has moved from a scientific and technical issue, to a social and economic impact," he said. "That next step has yet to be taken, and unless we start to address the issue, in ten years time we will still be talking about how we can improve air quality."

Joey Wong, Chief IP Examiner of the Intellectual Property Department, told members at the Chamber's roundtable luncheon on April 8 that as Hong Kong transforms into a knowledge-based economy, protection for registered trademarks needs to be beefed up to match with international practices.

The revisions, which went into effect on April 4, simplify and streamline application procedures in addition to substantially reducing fees, she said. Registration of trademarks is no longer separated into two parts, which used to indicate different degrees of distinctiveness.

The new system gives trademarks a new definition by allowing distinctive sounds and smells, apart from visually perceptible objects, to be registered provided that they can be graphically represented.

Furthermore, a new method has been introduced to classify trademarks based on the eighth edition of the World Intellectual Property Organisation's Nice Classification. As a result, the number of application forms has been slashed from 47 to 15.

Concerning the costs, the new Trademarks Ordinance slashes fees for a single-class application by 75 percent to HK$1,300, compared to HK$5,400 in the past. On renewal, trademarks holders will pay 50 percent less.

Additional advantages of the new law include online trademarks search, electronic publication, application and filing, all targeting a paperless operating environment.