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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government will jointly organise an investment environment seminar in Seoul on October 23 and in Tokyo on October 30. They will be the first-ever investment environment seminars overseas organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Mainland authorities at the Provincial level.


The Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, will head the delegation to Tokyo, while the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, will lead the Hong Kong delegation to Seoul.


Leading the Guangdong delegation to both cities will be the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Huang Huahua. They will be joined by the Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Mike Rowse.


The objective of the seminars is to attract Korean and Japanese companies to invest in Hong Kong and the Guangdong Province, and to provide an update on economic developments and the good investment environment in the two places.


In particular, the seminars aim to highlight the business opportunities the "Greater Pearl River Delta" (which includes Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao) offers, and to strengthen the economic and trade links with Korea and Japan.


The Tokyo Seminar is expected to attract 800 to 1,000 participants and the Seoul Seminar 400 to 500 participants. Mr Tang and Mr Tsang will be the keynote speakers at the Seminars, which will be held in the morning.


In the afternoon, Invest Hong Kong and the Trade Development Council will co-host a seminar on the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in the two cities.


Mr Tang and Mr Tsang will brief the participants about the implications of CEPA for Hong Kong and overseas companies.


Guest speakers will explain how Korean and Japanese companies can benefit from CEPA and gain greater access to the Mainland market. Case studies of companies preparing themselves for the new opportunities under CEPA will also be presented.


Mr Rowse emphasised the advantages Hong Kong offers to investors from Korea and Japan. He said: "If you want to combine an international business environment with immediate access to the mainland of China, there simply isn't any match for Hong Kong. Our infrastructure, business and cultural links with the Mainland are like nowhere else and the signing of CEPA has made us even more attractive. We also have the institutions, systems, regulatory environment and people that will provide investors with all they need to be successful in China and the region.


"As a result, many international companies perform their management, finance, information, co-ordination and logistics activities in Hong Kong, while overseeing their low-cost manufacturing facilities and sales operations in the Pearl River Delta."


Hong Kong Trade Development Council's Japan Director, Mr Ralph Chow said: "We have seen a high level of interest in CEPA from local companies, and we are delighted to be able to use this event to share information and experiences."


The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo supports these events in Seoul and Tokyo.


* For press enquiries, please contact Jennifer Lee.
(E-mail : jennifer@ipr.co.kr, Tel : 82-2-551-7071)