 |
Senior HK Official on Western Development Strategy
Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, administration secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said Monday in Urumqi that a stable and long-term policy on western development is a matter of great importance for potential Hong Kong investors.
Addressing in Xinjiang University, Tsang was referring to the strategy of the Chinese central government to develop its vast, poor western China region.
He said it is of great importance for investors from Hong Kong to realize that the central government's development strategy is a long-term and stable one.
Provincial governments in western China have since then issued policies of their own to encourage development and overseas investment, he said.
The Hong Kong business sector expected to learn more about the policies so that they will make sure that those policies will be long-standing and stable ones, which is a precondition for their investment, said Tsang.
Tsang said his current trip to western China is designed to gather more information on west China region and promote Hong Kong 's understanding of the west region.
For Hong Kong businessmen, he said, there are sufficient business opportunities in Xinjiang, a place rich in natural resources, 1,600 times Hong Kong in size and three times Hong Kong in population.
Tsang added that Hong Kong is capable of playing an important role in solving the issue of lack of capital and professionals in Xinjiang.
The more open and stable the atmosphere for investment in western China, the more attractive the region will be for Hong Kong investors, said the administration secretary.
Welcome to Xinjiang TouristsSelina Chow Liang Shuk-Yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourist Development Bureau, attended a function aiming at promoting Hong Kong tourism in Urumqi, this capital city of the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang.
She extended a warm welcome to local citizens, saying "I am looking forward to more Xinjiang tourists to Hong Kong."
The function, co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourist Development Bureau and the Xinjiang China Travel Service, featured a series of questions and answers about general information on Hong Kong.
Those who could give a correct answer were awarded a gift and offered an opportunity to take photos with Chow, who is also a member of the high-ranking Hong Kong delegation now on an investigation tour in west China.
As one of the most popular tourist cities in Asia, Hong Kong received more than 13 million tourist last year.
An air service from Urumqi to Hong Kong will be operational on June 23, with the flight available every Saturday, according to sources with the Xinjiang Airline Company.
Contract Boosting Tourism CooperationThe Hong Kong Tourist Development Bureau and the Tourist Administration of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region signed a contract in Urumqi Monday with an aim to promote tourist cooperation in the long run.
According to the contract, the two regions will regularly exchange tourist market information, and set each as priority destinations for their local tourists.
The two sides also expressed the hope that they will join hands overseas to seize a larger market share and conduct e-business in tourism.
Selina Chow Liang Shuk-Yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourist Development Bureau, indicated Xinjiang's tourism has a great potential, saying "Xinjiang's tourist sites will broaden people's horizons and are very attractive to Hong Kong residents."
This contract will intensify the cooperation between the tourist sectors in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and the exchange of tourists is expected to rise, according to a leading official with the Xinjiang Tourist Bureau.
With an aggregated value exceeding 100 million U.S. dollars, nine other contracts concerning textiles, air transportation and other related sectors were also signed Monday by Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
In This Section
|