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HK plays leading-by-example role in APEC
Hong Kong, with its traditional strength deeply rooted in free trade and an open economy, is playing a leading-by-example role in APEC, the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, said today (Monday).
Speaking at a conference organised by the Far Eastern Economic Review, Mr Tsang said: "What we in Hong Kong bring to APEC is the proof that freedom and openness work, that the courage consistently not to interfere is rewarded by greater competitiveness and greater prosperity for the community as a whole."
Mr Tsang, who will be attending APEC's Economic Leaders Meeting in Osaka later this month, said that in the year since the Bogor Declaration issued by the Leaders in November last year, Hong Kong had emphasised the virtues of collectively courageous but autonomous reforms.
"We have tried to build on the sort of examples of successful development and successful economic reform.
"In particular, we have argued the case for rolling back the barriers which impede the free flow of goods, services and capital around the region," he said.
Mr Tsang noted that the Bogor Declaration outlined the development of free trade in APEC, to be implemented by 2010 for developed economies, and by 2020 for developing economies.
"If the vision of free trade within the APEC region outlined at the Leaders Meeting in Bogor a year ago represented the bones, then the upcoming meeting in Osaka will be to put flesh on those bones," he said. "The Action Agenda developed by APEC officials in 1995 represents the road map by which APEC economies can achieve the Bogor vision."
Mr Tsang said APEC senior officials had worked hard on a very wide range of specific areas for action which included not only the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, but also customs procedures, industrial standards, government procurement, competition policy, intellectual property rights, services, rules of origin, human resource development, the environment, energy and deregulation.
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