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On the importance of the partnership of Hong Kong and Australia, Mrs Chan noted that Hong Kong was the home of the largest overseas Australian Chamber of commerce and the base for more than 30,000 Australians, many of them doing business with the entire Asia-Pacific region.
"Over 350 Australian companies have set up their offices in Hong Kong and many more have representatives in the territory.
"Hong Kong is Australia's fourth largest source of foreign investment and Australia's fourth largest destination for foreign investment.
"Our bilateral trade last year grew by 16 per cent to reach A$5.6 billion and 2 there is every indication that this growth will continue," she said.
On the factors that underpinned Hong Kong's success, the Chief Secretary noted that the territory had been the source or conduit of about 60 per cent of all 9 investment going into China since 1978.
"We are the communications hub for the region in aviation, with the world's busiest airport for freight and the third busiest for internationals passengers," she said.
"In shipping, we have the world's busiest container port. We are the regional centre for telecommunications."
Mrs Chan said Hong Kong would still be the gateway to China and its accessible and predictable legal and judicial system would continue.
"Our simple and low tax system, where presently no individual pays more than 15% on their salary and no company more than 16.5 per cent on its profits, will still be amongst the world's lowest.
"Hong Kong's resilience and 'can do' attitude, which has enabled us to overcome so many apparently crippling political and economic problems in the past, will remain," she said.
In her address, the Chief Secretary also noted that both the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law recognised that Hong Kong's success as a community and as a business centre depended on the continuation of its system of government and its way of life after 1997.
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